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EXHIBIT 4.1
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Brooktrout Technology, Inc.
and
State Street Bank and Trust Company
as Rights Agent
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Shareholder Rights Agreement
Dated as of September 9, 1998
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE
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1. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS...................................................... 1
2. APPOINTMENT OF RIGHTS AGENT............................................. 7
3. ISSUE OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES............................................. 7
4. FORM OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES.............................................. 9
5. COUNTERSIGNATURE AND REGISTRATION....................................... 10
6. TRANSFER, SPLIT UP, COMBINATION AND EXCHANGE OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES;
MUTILATED, DESTROYED, LOST OR STOLEN RIGHT CERTIFICATES................ 11
7. EXERCISE OF RIGHTS; EXERCISE PRICE; EXPIRATION DATE OF RIGHTS........... 12
8. CANCELLATION AND DESTRUCTION OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES...................... 14
9. RESERVATION AND AVAILABILITY OF PREFERRED STOCK......................... 14
10. PREFERRED STOCK RECORD DATE............................................ 16
11. ADJUSTMENT OF EXERCISE PRICE, NUMBER AND KIND OF
SHARES OR NUMBER OF RIGHTS........................................... 16
12. CERTIFICATE OF ADJUSTED EXERCISE PRICE OR NUMBER OF SHARES............. 25
13. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR SALE OR TRANSFER OF ASSETS
OR EARNING POWER..................................................... 26
14. FRACTIONAL RIGHTS AND FRACTIONAL SHARES................................ 29
15. RIGHTS OF ACTION....................................................... 29
16. AGREEMENT OF RIGHT HOLDERS............................................. 30
17. RIGHT CERTIFICATE HOLDER NOT DEEMED A SHAREHOLDER...................... 31
18. CONCERNING THE RIGHTS AGENT............................................ 31
19. MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION OR CHANGE OF NAME OF RIGHTS AGENT.............. 32
(i)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
SECTION PAGE
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20. DUTIES OF RIGHTS AGENT............................................... 32
21. CHANGE OF RIGHTS AGENT............................................... 34
22. ISSUANCE OF NEW RIGHT CERTIFICATES................................... 35
23. REDEMPTION........................................................... 36
24. EXCHANGE............................................................. 37
25. NOTICE OF CERTAIN EVENTS............................................. 39
26. NOTICES.............................................................. 40
27. SUPPLEMENTS AND AMENDMENTS........................................... 40
28. SUCCESSORS........................................................... 41
29. DETERMINATIONS AND ACTIONS BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS................. 41
30. BENEFITS OF THIS AGREEMENT........................................... 42
31. SEVERABILITY......................................................... 42
32. GOVERNING LAW........................................................ 42
33. COUNTERPARTS......................................................... 42
34. DESCRIPTIVE HEADINGS................................................. 42
Exhibit A -- Certificate of Designation of
Series A Junior Participating
Cumulative Preferred Stock
Exhibit B -- Form of Right Certificate
(ii)
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SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS AGREEMENT
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Agreement, dated as of September 9, 1998, between Brooktrout Technology,
Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (the "Company"), and State Street Bank and
Trust Company, a Massachusetts chartered trust company (the "Rights Agent").
W I T N E S S E T H
- - - - - - - - - -
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company desires to provide
shareholders of the Company with the opportunity to benefit from the long-term
prospects and value of the Company and to ensure that shareholders of the
Company receive fair and equal treatment in the event of any proposed takeover
of the Company; and
WHEREAS, on September 9, 1998, the Board of Directors of the Company
authorized and declared a dividend distribution of one Right (as such term is
hereinafter defined) for each outstanding share of Common Stock, par value $0.01
per share, of the Company (the "Common Stock") outstanding as of the close of
business on September 10, 1998 (the "Record Date"), and contemplates the
issuance of one Right for each share of Common Stock of the Company issued
(whether originally issued or sold from the Company's treasury, except in the
case of treasury shares having associated Rights) between the Record Date and
the earlier of the Distribution Date or the Expiration Date (as such terms are
hereinafter defined), each Right initially representing the right to purchase
one ten-thousandth of a share of Series A Junior Participating Cumulative
Preferred Stock of the Company having the rights, powers and preferences set
forth on EXHIBIT A hereto, upon the terms and subject to the conditions
hereinafter set forth (the "Rights");
WHEREAS, the Company desires to appoint the Rights Agent to act as rights
agent hereunder, in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements
herein set forth, the parties hereby agree as follows:
Section 1. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Agreement, the
following terms have the meanings indicated:
(a) "ACQUIRING PERSON" shall mean any Person (as such term is hereinafter
defined) who or which, together with all Affiliates (as such term is hereinafter
defined) and Associates (as such term is hereinafter defined) of such Person,
shall be the Beneficial Owner (as such term is hereinafter defined) of 15% or
more of the shares of Common Stock of the Company then outstanding, but shall
not include (i) the Company, (ii) any Subsidiary (as such term is hereinafter
defined) of the Company, (iii) any employee benefit plan or compensation
arrangement of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or (iv) any Person
holding shares of Common Stock of the Company organized, appointed or
established by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company for or pursuant to
the terms of any such employee benefit
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plan or compensation arrangement (the Persons described in clauses (i) through
(iv) above are referred to herein as "Exempt Persons").
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Person shall become an "Acquiring Person"
as the result of an acquisition by the Company of Common Stock of the Company
which, by reducing the number of shares outstanding, increases the proportionate
number of shares beneficially owned by such Person to 15% or more of the shares
of Common Stock of the Company then outstanding; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if a
Person shall become the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the shares of Common
Stock of the Company then outstanding by reason of share purchases by the
Company and shall, after such share purchases by the Company, become the
Beneficial Owner of any additional shares (other than pursuant to a stock split,
stock dividend or similar transaction) of Common Stock of the Company and
immediately thereafter be the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the shares of
Common Stock of the Company then outstanding, then such Person shall be deemed
to be an "Acquiring Person."
In addition, notwithstanding the foregoing, a Person shall not be an
"Acquiring Person" if (i) the Board of Directors of the Company determines that
a Person who would otherwise have been an "Acquiring Person," as defined
pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 1(a), on the date of this
Agreement became such without intending to become an "Acquiring Person," and, if
the Board of Directors of the Company so requests, such Person shall have taken
or agreed to take such action as the Board of Directors shall have deemed
appropriate (any such Person being referred to herein as an "Inadvertent
Grandfathered Person"), or (ii) the Board of Directors of the Company determines
that a Person (including an Inadvertent Grandfathered Person) who would
otherwise be an "Acquiring Person," has become such without intending to become
an "Acquiring Person," and such Person divests as promptly as practicable (or
within such period of time as the Board of Directors of the Company determines
is reasonable) a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock of the Company so
that such Person would no longer be an "Acquiring Person," as defined pursuant
to the foregoing provisions of this Section 1(a). Notwithstanding the foregoing,
(A) an Inadvertent Grandfathered Person shall become an Acquiring Person if
after the date of this Agreement such Inadvertent Grandfathered Person becomes
the Beneficial Owner of more than the percentage of the outstanding shares of
Common Stock of the Company that such Inadvertent Grandfathered Person
Beneficially Owned as of the date of this Agreement plus an additional 1/2% (the
"Inadvertent Grandfathered Percentage"), (B) in the event any Inadvertent
Grandfathered Person shall sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of any
outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company after the date of this
Agreement, the Inadvertent Grandfathered Percentage applicable to such
Inadvertent Grandfathered Person shall, subsequent to such sale, transfer or
disposition, mean, with respect to such Inadvertent Grandfathered Person, the
lesser of (x) the Inadvertent Grandfathered Percentage as in effect immediately
prior to such sale, transfer or disposition or (y) the percentage of outstanding
shares of Common Stock of the Company that such Inadvertent Grandfathered Person
Beneficially Owns immediately following such sale, transfer or disposition plus
an additional 1/2%, and (C) any Inadvertent Grandfathered Person who after the
date of this Agreement becomes the Beneficial Owner of less than 15% of the
shares of Common Stock of the
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Company then outstanding shall cease to be an Inadvertent Grandfathered Person.
Any references in this Agreement to a 15% threshold shall mean, solely with
respect to any Inadvertent Grandfathered Person, the Inadvertent Grandfathered
Percentage applicable to such Inadvertent Grandfathered Person.
(b) "ADJUSTMENT SHARES" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
11(a)(ii) hereof.
(c) "ADVERSE PERSON" shall mean any Person declared to be an Adverse
Person by the Board of Directors upon a determination of the Board of Directors
that the criteria set forth in Section 11(a)(ii)(B) apply to such Person.
(d) "AFFILIATE" and "ASSOCIATE" shall have the respective meanings
dascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations (the
"Rules") under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
Act"), as in effect on the date of this Agreement; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that no
Person who is a director or officer of the Company shall be deemed an Affiliate
or an Associate of any other director or officer of the Company solely as a
result of his or her position as director or officer of the Company.
(e) A Person shall be deemed the "BENEFICIAL OWNER" of, and shall be
deemed to "BENEFICIALLY OWN," any securities:
(i) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or Associates,
directly or indirectly, beneficially owns (as determined pursuant to
Rule 13d-3 of the Rules under the Exchange Act, as in effect on the
date of this Agreement);
(ii) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates, directly or indirectly, has:
(A) the right to acquire (whether such right is
exercisableimmediately or only after the passage of time or upon the
satisfaction of any conditions or both) pursuant to any agreement,
arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) (other than
customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group
members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities) or
upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights (other
than the Rights), warrants or options, or otherwise; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that a Person shall not be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of,
or to "beneficially own," (1) securities tendered pursuant to a tender
or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such Person or any of such
Person's Affiliates or Associates until such tendered securities are
accepted for purchase or exchange; (2) securities issuable upon
exercise of these Rights at any time prior to the occurrence of a
Triggering Event; or (3) securities issuable upon exercise of Rights
from and after the occurrence of a Triggering Event, which Rights were
acquired by such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
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Associates prior to the Distribution Date or pursuant to Sections
3(a), 11(i) or 22 hereof; or
(B) the right to vote pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or
understanding (whether or not in writing); PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that a
Person shall not be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of, or to
"beneficially own," any security under this clause (B) if the
agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security (1)
arises solely from a revocable proxy given in response to a public
proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance
with, the Rules of the Exchange Act and (2) is not also then
reportable by such person on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or
any comparable or successor report); or
(C) the right to dispose of pursuant to any agreement,
arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) (other than
customary arrangements with and between underwriters and selling group
members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities); or
(iii) which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by any
other Person (or any Affiliate or Associate thereof) with which such Person
or any of such Person's Affiliates or Associates has any agreement,
arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) (other than
customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group
members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities) for the
purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except pursuant to a revocable proxy
as described in clause (B) of Section 1(d)(ii) hereof) or disposing of any
securities of the Company;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that (1) no Person engaged in business as an underwriter of
securities shall be deemed the Beneficial Owner of any securities acquired
through such Person's participation as an underwriter in good faith in a firm
commitment underwriting until the expiration of forty (40) days after the date
of such acquisition, and (2) no Person who is a director or an officer of the
Company shall be deemed, as a result of his or her position as director or
officer of the Company, the Beneficial Owner of any securities of the Company
that are beneficially owned by any other director or officer of the Company.
(f) "BUSINESS DAY" shall mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday,
or a day on which banking institutions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are
authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
(g) "CLOSE OF BUSINESS" on any given date shall mean 5:00 P.M.,
Boston, Massachusetts time, on such date; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if such date
is not a Business Day it shall mean 5:00 P.M., Boston, Massachusetts time, on
the next succeeding Business Day.
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(h) "COMMON STOCK" when used in reference to the Company shall mean
the common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company or any other shares
of capital stock of the Company into which such stock shall be reclassified or
changed. "Common Stock" when used with reference to any Person other than the
Company organized in corporate form shall mean (i) the capital stock or other
equity interest of such Person with the greatest voting power, (ii) the equity
securities or other equity interest having power to control or direct the
management of such Person or (iii) if such Person is a Subsidiary of another
Person, the Person or Persons which ultimately control such first-mentioned
Person and which have issued any such outstanding capital stock, equity
securities or equity interest. "Common Stock" when used with reference to any
Person not organized in corporate form shall mean units of beneficial interest
which (x) shall represent the right to participate generally in the profits and
losses of such Person (including without limitation any flow-through tax
benefits resulting from an ownership interest in such Person) and (y) shall be
entitled to exercise the greatest voting power of such Person or, in the case
of a limited partnership, shall have the power to remove or otherwise replace
the general partner or partners.
(i) "CURRENT VALUE" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a
(iii) hereof.
(j) "DEPOSITARY AGENT" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
7(c) hereof.
(k) "DISTRIBUTION DATE" shall have the meaning defined in Section 3(a)
hereof.
(l) "EXERCISE PRICE" shall have the meaning defined in Section 4(a)
hereof.
(m) "EXPIRATION DATE" and "FINAL EXPIRATION DATE" shall have the
meanings set forth in Section 7(a) hereof.
(n) "FAIR MARKET VALUE" of any securities or other property shall be
as determined in accordance with Section 11(d) hereof.
(o) "GROUP" shall have the meaning set forth in clause (b) of the
definition of "Person."
(p) "PERSON" shall mean (a) an individual, a corporation, a
partnership, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, a business trust, a
government or political subdivision, any unincorporated organization, or any
other association or entity, and (b) a "group" as that term is used for purposes
of Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
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(q) "PREFERRED STOCK" shall mean shares of Series A Junior
Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $1.00 per share, of the
Company having the rights and preferences set forth in the form of Certificate
of Designation attached hereto as EXHIBIT A.
(r) "PREFERRED STOCK EQUIVALENTS" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 11(b) hereof.
(s) "PRINCIPAL PARTY" shall have the meaning defined in Section 13(b)
hereof.
(t) "REDEMPTION PRICE" shall have the meaning defined in Section 23
hereof.
(u) "REGISTERED COMMON STOCK" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 13(b) hereof.
(v) "RIGHT CERTIFICATE" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
3(a) hereof.
(w) "SECTION 11(a)(ii) EVENT" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
(x) "SECTION 11(a)(ii) TRIGGER DATE" shall have the meaning set forth
in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
(y) "SECTION 13 EVENT" shall mean any event described in clauses (x),
(y) or (z) of Section 13(a) hereof.
(z) "SECTION 24(a)(i) EXCHANGE RATIO" shall have the meaning set forth
in Section 24(a)(i) hereof.
(aa) "SECTION 24(a)(ii) EXCHANGE RATIO" shall have the meaning set
forth in Section 24(a)(ii) hereof.
(bb) "SPREAD" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii)
hereof.
(cc) "STOCK ACQUISITION DATE" shall mean the date of the first public
announcement (which for purposes of this definition shall include, without
limitation, the issuance of a press release or the filing of a publicly-
available report or other document with the Securities and Exchange Commission
or any other governmental agency) by the Company, acting pursuant to a
resolution adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company, or an Acquiring
Person that an Acquiring Person has become such.
(dd) "SUBSIDIARY" shall mean, with reference to any Person, any
corporation or other entity of which securities or other ownership interests
having ordinary voting power sufficient, in the absence of contingencies, to
elect a majority of the board of directors or other
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persons performing similar functions of such corporation or other entity are at
the time directly or indirectly beneficially owned or otherwise controlled by
such Person either alone or together with one or more Affiliates of such Person.
(ee) "SUBSTITUTION PERIOD" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
11(a)(iii) hereof.
(ff) "TRIGGERING EVENT" shall mean any Section 11(a)(ii) Event or any
Section 13 Event.
Section 2. APPOINTMENT OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Company hereby appoints the
Rights Agent to act as agent for the Company and the holders of the Rights (who,
in accordance with Section 3 hereof, shall prior to the Distribution Date (as
hereinafter defined in Section 3(a)) also be the holders of the Common Stock of
the Company) in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, and the Rights
Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The Company may from time to time appoint
such Co-Rights Agents as it may deem necessary or desirable. In the event the
Company appoints one or more Co-Rights Agents, the respective duties of the
Rights Agent and any Co-Rights Agents shall be as the Company shall determine.
The Company shall give ten (10) days' prior written notice to the Rights Agent
of the appointment of one or more Co-Rights Agents and the respective duties of
the Rights Agent and any such Co-Rights Agents. The Rights Agent shall have no
duty to supervise, and shall in no event be liable for, the acts or omissions of
any such Co-Rights Agent.
Section 3. ISSUE OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES.
(a) From the date hereof until the earliest of (i) the Close of
Business on the tenth calendar day after the Stock Acquisition Date, (ii) the
Close of Business on the tenth Business Day (or such later calendar day, if any,
as the Board of Directors of the Company may determine in its sole discretion)
after the date a tender or exchange offer by any Person, other than an Exempt
Person, is first published or sent or given within the meaning of Rule 14d-4(a)
of the Exchange Act, or any successor rule, if, upon consummation thereof, such
Person would be the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the shares of Common
Stock of the Company then outstanding or (iii) the determination by the Board of
Directors of the Company, pursuant to the criteria set forth in Section
11(a)(ii)(B) hereof, that a Person is an Adverse Person (including any such date
which is after the date of this Agreement and prior to the issuance of the
Rights) (the earliest of such dates being herein referred to as the
"Distribution Date"), (x) the Rights will be evidenced (subject to the
provisions of Section 3(b) hereof) by the certificates for the Common Stock of
the Company registered in the names of the holders of the Common Stock of the
Company (which certificates for Common Stock of the Company shall be deemed also
to be certificates for Rights) and not by separate certificates, and (y) the
Rights will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of the
underlying shares of Common Stock of the Company. As soon as practicable after
the Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will, at the Company's expense send, by
first-class, insured, postage prepaid mail, to each record holder of the Common
Stock of the Company as of the Close of Business
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on the Distribution Date, at the address of such holder shown on the records of
the Company, one or more certificates, in substantially the form of EXHIBIT B
hereto (the "Right Certificates"), evidencing one Right for each share of Common
Stock of the Company so held, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the
event that an adjustment in the number of Rights per share of Common Stock of
the Company has been made pursuant to Section 11(o) hereof, the Company may make
the necessary and appropriate rounding adjustments (in accordance with Section
14(a) hereof) at the time of distribution of the Right Certificates, so that
Right Certificates representing only whole numbers of Rights are distributed and
cash is paid in lieu of any fractional Rights. As of and after the Close of
Business on the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced solely by such
Right Certificates.
(b) With respect to certificates for the Common Stock of the Company
issued prior to the Close of Business on the Record Date, the Rights will be
evidenced by such certificates for the Common Stock of the Company on or until
the Distribution Date (or the earlier redemption, expiration or termination of
the Rights), and the registered holders of the Common Stock of the Company also
shall be the registered holders of the associated Rights. Until the Distribution
Date (or the earlier redemption, expiration or termination of the Rights), the
transfer of any of the certificates for the Common Stock of the Company
outstanding prior to the date of this Agreement shall also constitute the
transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Stock of the Company
represented by such certificate.
(c) Certificates for the Common Stock of the Company issued after the
Record Date, but prior to the earlier of the Distribution Date or the
redemption, expiration or termination of the Rights, shall be deemed also to be
certificates for Rights, and shall bear a legend, substantially in the form set
forth below:
This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof
to certain Rights as set forth in a Shareholder Rights
Agreement between Brooktrout Technology, Inc. and State Street
Bank and Trust Company, as Rights Agent, dated as of September
9, 1998, as amended, restated, renewed or extended from time
to time (the "Rights Agreement"), the terms of which are
hereby incorporated herein by reference and a copy of which is
on file at the principal offices of Brooktrout Technology,
Inc. and the stock transfer administration office of the
Rights Agent. Under certain circumstances, as set forth in the
Rights Agreement, such Rights will be evidenced by separate
certificates and will no longer be evidenced by this
certificate. Brooktrout Technology, Inc. may redeem the Rights
at a redemption price of $0.01 per Right, subject to
adjustment, under the terms of the Rights Agreement.
Brooktrout Technology, Inc. will mail to the holder of this
certificate a copy of the Rights Agreement, as in effect on
the date of mailing, without charge promptly after receipt of
a written request therefor. Under certain circumstances,
Rights issued to
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or held by Acquiring Persons, Adverse Persons or any
Affiliates or Associates thereof (as defined in the Rights
Agreement), and any subsequent holder of such Rights, may
become null and void. The Rights shall not be exercisable, and
shall be void so long as held, by a holder in any jurisdiction
where the requisite qualification, if any, to the issuance to
such holder, or the exercise by such holder, of the Rights in
such jurisdiction shall not have been obtained or be
obtainable.
With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, the Rights
associated with the Common Stock of the Company represented by such certificates
shall be evidenced by such certificates alone until the Distribution Date (or
the earlier redemption, expiration or termination of the Rights), and the
transfer of any of such certificates shall also constitute the transfer of the
Rights associated with the Common Stock of the Company represented by such
certificates. In the event that the Company purchases or acquires any shares of
Common Stock of the Company after the Record Date but prior to the Distribution
Date, any Rights associated with such Common Stock of the Company shall be
deemed canceled and retired so that the Company shall not be entitled to
exercise any Rights associated with the shares of Common Stock of the Company
which are no longer outstanding. The failure to print the foregoing legend on
any such certificate representing Common Stock of the Company or any defect
therein shall not affect in any manner whatsoever the application or
interpretation of the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof.
Section 4. FORM OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES.
(a) The Right Certificates (and the forms of election to purchase
shares and of assignment and certificate to be printed on the reverse thereof)
shall each be substantially in the form of EXHIBIT B hereto and may have such
marks of identification or designation and such legends, summaries or
endorsements printed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not
inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement, or as may be required to
comply with any applicable law, rule or regulation or with any rule or
regulation of any stock exchange on which the Rights may from time to time be
listed, or to conform to customary usage. The Right Certificates shall be in a
machine printable format and in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Rights
Agent. Subject to the provisions of Section 11 and Section 22 hereof, the Right
Certificates, whenever distributed, shall be dated as of the Record Date, shall
show the date of countersignature, and on their face shall entitle the holders
thereof to purchase such number of one ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred
Stock as shall be set forth therein at the price set forth therein (the
"Exercise Price"), but the number of such shares and the Exercise Price shall be
subject to adjustment as provided herein.
(b) Any Right Certificate issued pursuant to Section 3(a) or
Section 22 hereof that represents Rights beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring
Person, an Adverse Person or any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person
or an Adverse Person, (ii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person or an Adverse
Person (or of any Associate or Affiliate of an
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Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person) who becomes a transferee after the
Acquiring Person or Adverse Person becomes such, or (iii) a transferee of an
Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate)
who becomes a transferee prior to or concurrently with the Acquiring Person or
Adverse Person becoming such and receives such Rights pursuant to either (A) a
transfer (whether or not for consideration) from the Acquiring Person or Adverse
Person to holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person or Adverse Person
or to any Person with whom the Acquiring Person or Adverse Person has any
continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing)
regarding the transferred Rights, the shares of Common Stock of the Company
associated with such Rights or the Company or (B) a transfer which the Board of
Directors of the Company has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or
understanding which has as a primary purpose or effect the avoidance of Section
7(e) hereof, and any Right Certificate issued pursuant to Section 6, Section 11
or Section 22 upon transfer, exchange, replacement or adjustment of any other
Right Certificate referred to in this sentence, shall have deleted therefrom the
second sentence of the existing legend on such Right Certificate and in
substitution therefor shall contain the following legend:
The Rights represented by this Right Certificate are or were
beneficially owned by a Person who was or became an Acquiring
Person, an Adverse Person or an Affiliate or an Associate of
an Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person (as such terms are
defined in the Rights Agreement). This Right Certificate and
the Rights represented hereby may become null and void under
certain circumstances as specified in Section 7(e) of the
Rights Agreement.
The Company shall give notice to the Rights Agent promptly after it becomes
aware of the existence and identity of any Acquiring Person or Adverse Person or
any Associate or Affiliate thereof. The Company shall instruct the Rights Agent
in writing of the Rights which should be so legended. The failure to print the
foregoing legend on any such Right Certificate or any defect therein shall not
affect in any manner whatsoever the application or interpretation of the
provisions of Section 7(e) hereof.
Section 5. COUNTERSIGNATURE AND REGISTRATION.
(a) The Right Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company
by its Chairman of the Board of Directors, or its President or any Vice
President and by its Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer, or by its Clerk or
any Assistant Clerk, either manually or by facsimile signature, and shall have
affixed thereto the Company's seal or a facsimile thereof which shall be
attested to by the Clerk or any Assistant Clerk of the Company, either manually
or by facsimile signature. The Right Certificates shall be manually
countersigned by an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent and shall not be
valid for any purpose unless so countersigned, and such countersignature upon
any Right Certificate shall be conclusive evidence, and the only evidence, that
such Right Certificate has been duly countersigned as
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required hereunder. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any
of the Right Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before
countersignature by the Rights Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company,
such Right Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by an authorized
signatory of the Rights Agent, and issued and delivered by the Company with the
same force and effect as though the person who signed such Right Certificates
had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Right Certificates may
be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the actual date of the
execution of such Right Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company to
sign such Right Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this
Rights Agreement any such person was not such an officer.
(b) Following the Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will keep or
cause to be kept, at one of its offices designated as the appropriate place for
surrender of Right Certificates upon exercise or transfer, books for
registration and transfer of the Right Certificates issued hereunder. Such books
shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders of the Right
Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on its face by each of the Right
Certificates and the date of each of the Right Certificates.
Section 6. TRANSFER, SPLIT UP, COMBINATION AND EXCHANGE OF RIGHT
CERTIFICATES; MUTILATED, DESTROYED, LOST OR STOLEN RIGHT CERTIFICATES.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 4(b), Section 7(e) and
Section 14 hereof, at any time after the Close of Business on the Distribution
Date, and at or prior to the Close of Business on the Expiration Date, any Right
Certificate or Certificates may be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged
for another Right Certificate or Certificates, entitling the registered holder
to purchase a like number of one ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock
(or following a Triggering Event, preferred stock, cash, property, debt
securities, Common Stock of the Company or any combination thereof) as the Right
Certificate or Certificates surrendered then entitled such holder to purchase
and at the same Exercise Price. Any registered holder desiring to transfer,
split up, combine or exchange any Right Certificate shall make such request in
writing delivered to the Rights Agent, and shall surrender the Right Certificate
or Certificates to be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged, with the
form of assignment and certificate duly executed, at the office or offices of
the Rights Agent designated for such purpose. Neither the Rights Agent nor the
Company shall be obligated to take any action whatsoever with respect to the
transfer of any such surrendered Right Certificate until the registered holder
shall have completed and signed the certificate contained in the form of
assignment on the reverse side of such Right Certificate and shall have provided
such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former
Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company shall
reasonably request. Thereupon the Rights Agent shall, subject to Section 4(b),
Section 7(e) and Section 14 hereof, countersign and deliver to the Person
entitled thereto a Right Certificate or Certificates, as the case may be, as so
requested. The Company may require payment by the registered holder of a Right
Certificate, of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge that
may be
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imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of
Right Certificates.
(b) Upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence
reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of
a Right Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or
security satisfactory to them, and reimbursement to the Company and the Rights
Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the
Rights Agent and cancellation of the Right Certificate, if mutilated, the
Company will execute and deliver a new Right Certificate of like tenor to the
Rights Agent for countersignature and delivery to the registered owner in lieu
of the Right Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
Section 7. EXERCISE OF RIGHTS; EXERCISE PRICE; EXPIRATION DATE OF RIGHTS.
(a) Subject to Section 7(e) hereof, the registered holder of any Right
Certificate may exercise the Rights evidenced thereby (except as otherwise
provided herein) in whole or in part at any time after the Distribution Date
upon surrender of the Right Certificate, with the form of election to purchase
and the certificate on the reverse side thereof duly executed, to the Rights
Agent at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose,
together with payment of the aggregate Exercise Price for the total number of
one ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (or other securities, cash or
other assets, as the case may be) as to which such surrendered Rights are then
exercised, at or prior to the earlier of (i) the Close of Business on the tenth
anniversary of the date of this Agreement (the "Final Expiration Date"), (ii)
the time at which the Rights are redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof or
(iii) the time at which such Rights are exchanged as provided in Section 24
hereof (the earlier of (i), (ii) or (iii) being herein referred to as the
"Expiration Date"). Except as set forth in Section 7(e) hereof and
notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, any Person who prior to
the Distribution Date becomes a record holder of shares of Common Stock of the
Company may exercise all of the rights of a registered holder of a Right
Certificate with respect to the Rights associated with such shares of Common
Stock of the Company in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, as of
the date such Person becomes a record holder of shares of Common Stock of the
Company.
(b) The Exercise Price for each one ten-thousandth of a share of
Preferred Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Right shall initially be
seventy-nine dollars ($79.00), shall be subject to adjustment from time to time
as provided in Section 11 and Section 13 hereof and shall be payable in lawful
money of the United States of America in accordance with Section 7(c) below.
(c) As promptly as practicable following the Distribution Date, the
Company shall deposit with a corporation, trust, bank or similar institution in
good standing organized under the laws of the United States or any State of the
United States, which is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust
or stock transfer powers and is subject to supervision or examination by a
federal or state authority (such institution is hereinafter
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referred to as the "Depositary Agent"), certificates representing the shares of
Preferred Stock that may be acquired upon exercise of the Rights and the Company
shall cause such Depositary Agent to enter into an agreement pursuant to which
the Depositary Agent shall issue receipts representing interests in the shares
of Preferred Stock so deposited. Upon receipt of a Right Certificate
representing exercisable Rights, with the form of election to purchase and the
certificate on the reverse side thereof duly executed, accompanied by payment of
the Exercise Price for the shares to be purchased and an amount equal to any
applicable transfer tax (as determined by the Rights Agent) by certified check
or bank draft payable to the order of the Company or by money order, the Rights
Agent shall, subject to Section 20(k) hereof, thereupon promptly (i) requisition
from the Depositary Agent (or make available, if the Rights Agent is the
Depositary Agent) depository receipts or certificates for the number of one ten-
thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock to be purchased and the Company hereby
irrevocably authorizes the Depositary Agent to comply with all such requests,
(ii) when appropriate, requisition from the Company the amount of cash, if any,
to be paid in lieu of issuance of fractional shares in accordance with Section
14 hereof, (iii) promptly after receipt of such certificates or depositary
receipts, cause the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the registered
holder of such Right Certificate, registered in such name or names as may be
designated by such holder and (iv) when appropriate, after receipt promptly
deliver such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right
Certificate. In the event that the Company is obligated to issue other
securities (including Common Stock) of the Company, pay cash or distribute other
property pursuant to Section 11(a) hereof, the Company will make all
arrangements necessary so that such other securities, cash or other property are
available for distribution by the Rights Agent, if and when appropriate. The
payment of the Exercise Price may be made by certified or bank check payable to
the order of the Company, or by money order or wire transfer of immediately
available funds to the account of the Company (provided that notice of such wire
transfer shall be given by the holder of the related Right to the Rights Agent).
(d) In case the registered holder of any Right Certificate shall
exercise less than all the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Right Certificate
evidencing Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued
by the Rights Agent and delivered to the registered holder of such Right
Certificate or to his duly authorized assigns, subject to the provisions of
Section 14 hereof.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, from
and after the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event or Section 13 Event,
any Rights beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring Person, an Adverse Person or
any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person, (ii) a
transferee of an Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person (or of any Associate or
Affiliate of an Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person) who becomes a transferee
after the Acquiring Person or Adverse Person becomes such or (iii) a transferee
of an Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person (or of any Associate or Affiliate of
an Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person) who becomes a transferee prior to or
concurrently with the Acquiring Person or Adverse Person becoming such and
receives such Rights pursuant to either (A) a transfer (whether or not for
consideration) from the Acquiring
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Person or Adverse Person to holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person
or Adverse Person or to any Person with whom the Acquiring Person or Adverse
Person has any continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding the
transferred Rights, the shares of Common Stock of the Company associated with
such Rights or the Company, or (B) a transfer which the Board of Directors of
the Company has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding which
has as a primary purpose or effect the avoidance of this Section 7(e), shall be
null and void without any further action and no holder of such Rights shall have
any rights whatsoever with respect to such Rights, whether under any provision
of this Agreement or otherwise. The Company shall use all reasonable efforts to
ensure that the provisions of this Section 7(e) and Section 4(b) hereof are
complied with, but shall have no liability to any holder of Right Certificates
or other Person as a result of its failure to make any determinations with
respect to an Acquiring Person or Adverse Person or any Affiliates or Associates
of an Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person or any transferee of any of them
hereunder.
(f) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,
neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any
action with respect to a registered holder of Rights upon the occurrence of any
purported exercise as set forth in this Section 7 unless such registered holder
shall have (i) completed and signed the certificate contained in the form of
election to purchase set forth on the reverse side of the Right Certificate
surrendered for such exercise, and (ii) provided such additional evidence of the
identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or
Associates thereof as the Company shall reasonably request.
Section 8. CANCELLATION AND DESTRUCTION OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES. All Right
Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split up,
combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or any of its
agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in canceled form,
or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be canceled by it, and no Right
Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by
any of the provisions of this Agreement. The Company shall deliver to the Rights
Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so cancel and
retire, any other Right Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company
otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Rights Agent shall deliver all
canceled Right Certificates to the Company.
Section 9. RESERVATION AND AVAILABILITY OF PREFERRED STOCK.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be reserved
and kept available out of its authorized and unissued shares of Preferred Stock
or any authorized and issued shares of Preferred Stock held in its treasury, the
number of shares of Preferred Stock that will be sufficient to permit the
exercise in full of all outstanding and exercisable Rights. Upon the occurrence
of any events resulting in an increase in the aggregate number of shares of
Preferred Stock issuable upon exercise of all outstanding Rights in excess of
the number then reserved, the Company shall make appropriate increases in the
number of shares so reserved.
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(b) The Company shall use its best efforts to cause, from and after
such time as the Rights become exercisable, all shares of Preferred Stock issued
or reserved for issuance to be listed, upon official notice of issuance, upon
the principal national securities exchange, if any, upon which the Common Stock
of the Company is listed or, if the principal market for the Common Stock of the
Company is not on any national securities exchange, to be eligible for quotation
on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System
("NASDAQ") or any successor thereto or other comparable quotation system.
(c) The Company shall use its best efforts to (i) file, as soon as
practicable following the earliest date after the occurrence of a Section
11(a)(ii) Event on which the consideration to be delivered by the Company upon
exercise of the Rights has been determined in accordance with Section 11(a)(iii)
hereof, or as soon as required by law following the Distribution Date, as the
case may be, a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Securities Act"), with respect to the securities purchasable upon
exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, (ii) cause such registration
statement to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing and (iii)
cause such registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus that at
all times meets the requirements of the Securities Act) until the earlier of (A)
the date as of which the Rights are no longer exercisable for such securities or
(B) the Expiration Date. The Company will also take such action as may be
appropriate under, and which will ensure compliance with, the securities or
"blue sky" laws of the various states in connection with the exercisability of
the Rights. The Company may temporarily suspend, for a period of time not to
exceed ninety (90) days after the date determined in accordance with the
provisions of the first sentence of this Section 9(c), the exercisability of the
Rights in order to prepare and file such registration statement and permit it to
become effective. Upon such suspension, the Company shall issue a public
announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily
suspended, as well as a public announcement at such time as the suspension is no
longer in effect, in each case with prompt written notice to the Rights Agent.
Notwithstanding any such provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Rights
shall not be exercisable in any jurisdiction unless the requisite qualification
in such jurisdiction shall have been obtained.
(d) The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such action
as may be necessary to ensure that all shares of Preferred Stock delivered upon
the exercise of the Rights shall, at the time of delivery of the certificates or
depositary receipts for such shares (subject to payment of the Exercise Price),
be duly and validly authorized and issued and fully paid and nonassessable.
(e) The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when due
and payable any and all federal and state transfer taxes and charges which may
be payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of the Right Certificates or
of any certificates for shares of Preferred Stock upon the exercise of Rights.
The Company shall not, however, be required to pay any transfer tax which may be
payable in respect of any transfer or delivery of Right Certificates to a person
other than, or in respect of the issuance or delivery of securities in a name
other than that of, the registered holder of the Right Certificates evidencing
Rights
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surrendered for exercise or to issue or deliver any certificates for securities
in a name other than that of the registered holder upon the exercise of any
Rights until such tax shall have been paid (any such tax being payable by the
holder of such Right Certificate at the time of surrender) or until it has been
established to the Company's satisfaction that no such tax is due.
Section 10. PREFERRED STOCK RECORD DATE. Each Person in whose name any
certificate for Preferred Stock (including any fraction of a share of Preferred
Stock) is issued upon the exercise of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to
have become the holder of record of the shares of Preferred Stock represented
thereby on, and such certificate shall be dated, the date upon which the Right
Certificate evidencing such Rights was duly surrendered and payment of the
Exercise Price (and any applicable transfer taxes) was made; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that if the date of such surrender and payment is a date upon which the
Preferred Stock transfer books of the Company are closed, such person shall be
deemed to have become the record holder of such shares on, and such certificate
shall be dated, the next succeeding Business Day on which the Preferred Stock
transfer books of the Company are open; and further PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if
delivery of shares of Preferred Stock is delayed pursuant to Section 9(c), such
Person shall be deemed to have become the record holder of such shares of
Preferred Stock only when such shares first become deliverable. Prior to the
exercise of the Right evidenced thereby, the holder of a Right Certificate shall
not be entitled to any rights of a shareholder of the Company with respect to
shares for which the Rights shall be exercisable, including, without limitation,
the right to vote, to receive dividends or other distributions or to exercise
any preemptive rights, and shall not be entitled to receive any notice of any
proceedings of the Company, except as provided herein.
Section 11. ADJUSTMENT OF EXERCISE PRICE, NUMBER AND KIND OF SHARES OR
NUMBER OF RIGHTS. The Exercise Price, the number and kind of shares covered by
each Right and the number of Rights outstanding are subject to adjustment from
time to time as provided in this Section 11.
(a) (i) In the event the Company shall at any time after the date
of this Agreement (A) declare a dividend on the Preferred Stock
payable in shares of Preferred Stock, (B) subdivide the outstanding
Preferred Stock, (C) combine the outstanding Preferred Stock into a
smaller number of shares or (D) issue any shares of its capital stock
in a reclassification of the Preferred Stock (including any such
reclassification in connection with a consolidation or merger in which
the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation), except as
otherwise provided in this Section 11(a) and Section 7(e) hereof, the
Exercise Price in effect at the time of the record date for such
dividend or of the effective date of such subdivision, combination or
reclassification, and the number and kind of shares of capital stock
issuable on such date, shall be proportionately adjusted so that the
holder of any Right exercised after such time shall be entitled to
receive the aggregate number and kind of shares of capital stock
which, if such Right had been exercised immediately prior to such date
and at a time when the Preferred Stock transfer books of the Company
were open, such holder would have owned upon such exercise and been
entitled to receive by virtue of such dividend,
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subdivision, combination or reclassification; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that
in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of a
Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital
stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of a Right. If an event
occurs which would require an adjustment under both Section 11(a)(i)
and Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the adjustment provided for in this
Section 11(a)(i) shall be in addition to, and shall be made prior to,
any adjustment required pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
(ii) Subject to the provisions of Section 24 hereof, in the event
(A) any Person, alone or together with its Affiliates
and Associates, shall become an Acquiring Person, or
(B) the Board of Directors of the Company, by majority
vote, shall declare any Person to be an Adverse Person,
after (x) a determination that such Person, alone or
together with its Affiliates and Associates, has become the
Beneficial Owner of 10% or more of the outstanding shares of
Common Stock of the Company and (y) a determination by the
Board of Directors, after reasonable inquiry and
investigation, including such consultation, if any, with
such persons as such directors shall deem appropriate, that
(a) such Beneficial Ownership by such Person is intended to
cause, is reasonably likely to cause or will cause the
Company to repurchase the Common Stock of the Company
beneficially owned by such Person or to cause pressure on
the Company to take action or enter into a transaction or
series of transactions which would provide such Person with
short-term financial gain under circumstances where the
Board of Directors determines that the best long-term
interests of the Company and its shareholders, but for the
actions and possible actions of such Person, would not be
served by taking such action or entering into such
transactions or series of transactions at that time or (b)
such Beneficial Ownership is causing or reasonably likely to
cause a material adverse impact (including, but not limited
to, impairment of relationships with customers or impairment
of the Company's ability to maintain its competitive
position) on the business or prospects of the Company. No
delay or failure by the Board of Directors to declare a
Person to be an Adverse Person shall in any way waive or
otherwise affect the power of the Board of Directors
subsequently to declare a Person to be an Adverse Person. In
the event that the Board of Directors should at any time
determine, upon reasonable inquiry and investigation,
including consultation with such Persons as the Board of
Directors shall deem appropriate, that such Person has not
met or complied with any condition specified by the Board of
Directors, the Board of Directors may at any time thereafter
declare such Person to be an Adverse Person pursuant to the
provisions of this Section 11(a)(ii)(B),
then, and in each such case, promptly following any such occurrence (a "Section
11(a)(ii) Event"), proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a
Right, except
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as provided in Section 7(e) hereof, shall thereafter have a right to receive,
upon exercise thereof at the then current Exercise Price in accordance with the
terms of this Agreement, such number of shares of Preferred Stock of the Company
as shall equal the result obtained by (x) multiplying the then current Exercise
Price by the then number of one ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock
for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to the first occurrence of a
Section 11(a)(ii) Event, whether or not such Right was then exercisable, and
dividing that product by (y) 50% of the Fair Market Value per one ten-thousandth
of a share of the Preferred Stock (determined pursuant to Section 11(d)) on the
date of the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event (such number of shares being
referred to as the "Adjustment Shares").
(iii) In lieu of issuing any shares of Preferred Stock
in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the Company,
acting by or pursuant to a resolution of the Board of
Directors of the Company, may, and in the event that the
number of shares of Preferred Stock which are authorized by
the Company's Articles of Organization but not outstanding
or reserved for issuance for purposes other than upon
exercise of the Rights is not sufficient to permit the
exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with the
foregoing subparagraph (ii) of this Section 11(a), the
Company, acting by or pursuant to a resolution of the Board
of Directors of the Company, shall: (A) determine the excess
of (X) the Fair Market Value of the Adjustment Shares
issuable upon the exercise of a Right (the "Current Value")
over (Y) the Exercise Price attributable to each Right (such
excess being referred to as the "Spread") and (B) with
respect to all or a portion of each Right (subject to
Section 7(e) hereof), make adequate provision to substitute
for the Adjustment Shares, upon payment of the applicable
Exercise Price, (1) cash, (2) a reduction in the Exercise
Price, (3) Preferred Stock Equivalents which the Board of
Directors of the Company has deemed to have the same value
as shares of Common Stock of the Company, (4) debt
securities of the Company, (5) other assets of the Company
or (6) any combination of the foregoing which, when added to
any shares of Preferred Stock issued upon such exercise, has
an aggregate value equal to the Current Value, where such
aggregate value has been determined by the Board of
Directors of the Company based upon the advice of a
nationally recognized investment banking firm selected by
the Board of Directors of the Company; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that if the Company shall not have made adequate provision
to deliver value pursuant to clause (B) above within thirty
(30) days following the later of (x) the first occurrence of
a Section 11(a)(ii) Event and (y) the date on which the
Company's right of redemption pursuant to Section 23(a)
expires (the later of (x) and (y) being referred to herein
as the "Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date"), then the Company
shall be obligated to deliver, upon the surrender for
exercise of a Right and without requiring payment of the
Exercise Price, shares of Preferred Stock (to the extent
available) and then, if necessary, cash, which shares and/or
cash have an aggregate value equal to the Spread. If the
Board of Directors of the Company shall determine in good
faith that it is likely that
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sufficient additional shares of Preferred Stock could be
authorized for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights,
the 30-day period set forth above may be extended to the
extent necessary, but not more than ninety (90) days after
the Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date, in order that the
Company may seek stockholder approval for the authorization
of such additional shares (such period, as it may be
extended, being referred to herein as the "Substitution
Period"). To the extent that the Company determines that
some action need be taken pursuant to the first and/or
second sentences of this Section 11(a)(iii), the Company (x)
shall provide, subject to Section 7(e) hereof, that such
action shall apply uniformly to all outstanding Rights and
(y) may suspend the exercisability of the Rights until the
expiration of the Substitution Period in order to seek any
authorization of additional shares and/or to decide the
appropriate form of distribution to be made pursuant to such
first sentence and to determine the value thereof. In the
event of any such suspension, the Company shall issue a
public announcement stating that the exercisability of the
Rights has been temporarily suspended and a public
announcement at such time as the suspension is no longer in
effect. For purposes of this Section 11(a)(iii), the value
of the Preferred Stock shall be the Fair Market Value (as
determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) per share of
the Preferred Stock on the Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date
and the value of any Preferred Stock Equivalent shall be
deemed to have the same value as the Preferred Stock on such
date.
(b) If the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance
of rights, options or warrants to all holders of Preferred Stock entitling them
(for a period expiring within forty-five (45) calendar days after such record
date) to subscribe for or purchase Preferred Stock (or securities having the
same or more favorable rights, privileges and preferences as the shares of
Preferred Stock ("Preferred Stock Equivalents")) or securities convertible into
Preferred Stock or Preferred Stock Equivalents at a price per share of Preferred
Stock or per share of Preferred Stock Equivalents (or having a conversion price
per share, if a security convertible into Preferred Stock or Preferred Stock
Equivalents) less than the Fair Market Value (as determined pursuant to Section
11(d) hereof) per share of Preferred Stock on such record date, the Exercise
Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying
the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a
fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Preferred
Stock outstanding on such record date, plus the number of shares of Preferred
Stock which the aggregate offering price of the total number of shares of
Preferred Stock and/or Preferred Stock Equivalents to be offered (and the
aggregate initial conversion price of the convertible securities so to be
offered) would purchase at such Fair Market Value and the denominator of which
shall be the number of shares of Preferred Stock outstanding on such record
date, plus the number of additional shares of Preferred Stock and Preferred
Stock Equivalents to be offered for subscription or purchase (or into which the
convertible securities so to be offered are initially convertible); PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise
of a Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of stock of the
Company issuable upon exercise of a Right. In case such subscription price may
be paid in a consideration part or all of which shall
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be in a form other than cash, the value of such consideration shall be the Fair
Market Value thereof determined in accordance with Section 11(d) hereof. Shares
of Preferred Stock owned by or held for the account of the Company shall not be
deemed outstanding for the purpose of any such computation. Such adjustments
shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and in the
event that such rights or warrants are not so issued, the Exercise Price shall
be adjusted to be the Exercise Price which would then be in effect if such
record date had not been fixed.
(c) If the Company shall fix a record date for the making of a
distribution to all holders of Preferred Stock (including any such distribution
made in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the
continuing or surviving corporation), of evidences of indebtedness, cash (other
than a regular periodic cash dividend out of the earnings or retained earnings
of the Company), assets (other than a dividend payable in Preferred Stock, but
including any dividend payable in stock other than Preferred Stock) or
convertible securities, subscription rights or warrants (excluding those
referred to in Section 11(b)), the Exercise Price to be in effect after such
record date shall be determined by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect
immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which
shall be the Fair Market Value (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof)
per one ten-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock on such record date, less
the Fair Market Value (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) of the
portion of the cash, assets or evidences of indebtedness so to be distributed or
of such convertible securities, subscription rights or warrants applicable to
one ten-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock and the denominator of which
shall be the Fair Market Value (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof)
per one ten-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in
no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of a Right be less
than the aggregate par value of the shares of stock of the Company issuable upon
exercise of a Right. Such adjustments shall be made successively whenever such a
record date is fixed; and in the event that such distribution is not so made,
the Exercise Price shall again be adjusted to be the Exercise Price which would
be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.
(d) For the purpose of this Agreement, the "Fair Market Value" of any
share of Preferred Stock, Common Stock or any other stock or any Right or other
security or any other property shall be determined as provided in this Section
11(d).
(i) In the case of a publicly-traded stock or other
security, the Fair Market Value on any date shall be deemed to be
the average of the daily closing prices per share of such stock
or per unit of such other security for the 30 consecutive Trading
Days (as such term is hereinafter defined) immediately prior to
such date; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in the event that the Fair
Market Value per share of any share of stock is determined during
a period following the announcement by the issuer of such stock
of (x) a dividend or distribution on such stock payable in shares
of such stock or securities convertible into shares of such stock
or (y) any subdivision, combination or reclassification of such
stock, and prior to the expiration of the 30 Trading Day period
after the ex-
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dividend date for such dividend or distribution, or the record
date for such subdivision, combination or reclassification, then,
and in each such case, the Fair Market Value shall be properly
adjusted to take into account ex-dividend trading. The closing
price for each day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or,
in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the
closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case as
reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting
system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading
on the New York Stock Exchange or, if the securities are not
listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as
reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting
system with respect to securities listed on the principal
national securities exchange on which such security is listed or
admitted to trading; or, if not listed or admitted to trading on
any national securities exchange, the last quoted price (or, if
not so quoted, the average of the last quoted high bid and low
asked prices) in the over-the-counter market, as reported by
NASDAQ or such other system then in use; or, if on any such date
no bids for such security are quoted by any such organization,
the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a
professional market maker making a market in such security
selected by the Board of Directors of the Company. If on any such
date no market maker is making a market in such security, the
Fair Market Value of such security on such date shall be
determined reasonably and with utmost good faith to the holders
of the Rights by the Board of Directors of the Company, PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that if at the time of such determination there is an
Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person, the Fair Market Value of
such security on such date shall be determined by a nationally
recognized investment banking firm selected by the Board of
Directors of the Company, which determination shall be described
in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding
on the Rights Agent and the holders of the Rights. The term
"Trading Day" shall mean a day on which the principal national
securities exchange on which such security is listed or admitted
to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if such
security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national
securities exchange, a Business Day.
(ii) If a security is not publicly held or not so listed or
traded, "Fair Market Value" shall mean the fair value per share
of stock or per other unit of such security, determined
reasonably and with utmost good faith to the holders of the
Rights by the Board of Directors of the Company; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that if at the time of such determination there is an
Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person, the Fair Market Value of
such security on such date shall be determined by a nationally
recognized investment banking firm selected by the Board of
Directors of the Company, which determination shall be described
in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding
on the Rights Agent and the holders of the Rights; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that for the purposes of making any adjustment provided
for by Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the Fair Market
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Value of a share of Preferred Stock shall not be less than the
product of the then Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock
multiplied by the higher of the then Dividend Multiple or Vote
Multiple (as both of such terms are defined in the Certificate of
Designation attached as Exhibit A hereto) applicable to the
Preferred Stock and shall not exceed 105% of the product of the
then Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock multiplied by
the higher of the then Dividend Multiple or Vote Multiple
applicable to the Preferred Stock.
(iii) In the case of property other than securities, the
Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined reasonably and with
utmost good faith to the holders of Rights by the Board of
Directors of the Company; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if at the time
of such determination there is an Acquiring Person or an Adverse
Person, the Fair Market Value of such property on such date shall
be determined by a nationally recognized investment banking firm
selected by the Board of Directors of the Company, which
determination shall be described in a statement filed with the
Rights Agent and shall be binding upon the Rights Agent and the
holders of the Rights.
(e) Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, no
adjustment in the Exercise Price shall be required unless such adjustment would
require an increase or decrease of at least 1% in the Exercise Price; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that any adjustments which by reason of this Section 11(e) are not
required to be made shall be carried forward and taken into account in any
subsequent adjustment. All calculations under this Section 11 shall be made to
the nearest cent or to the nearest one-millionth of a share of Common Stock of
the Company or hundred-millionth of a share of Preferred Stock, as the case may
be, or to such other figure as the Board of Directors of the Company may deem
appropriate. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Section 11(e), any
adjustment required by this Section 11 shall be made no later than the earlier
of (i) three (3) years from the date of the transaction which mandates such
adjustment or (ii) the Expiration Date.
(f) If as a result of any provision of Section 11(a) or Section
13(a) hereof, the holder of any Right thereafter exercised shall become entitled
to receive any shares of capital stock of the Company other than Preferred
Stock, thereafter the number of such other shares so receivable upon exercise of
any Right shall be subject to adjustment from time to time in a manner and on
terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the provisions with respect to the
Preferred Stock contained in Section 11(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (g) through (k)
and (m), inclusive, and the provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14 hereof
with respect to the Preferred Stock shall apply on like terms to any such other
shares.
(g) All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to
any adjustment made to the Exercise Price hereunder shall evidence the right to
purchase, at the adjusted Exercise Price, the number of one ten-thousandths of a
share of Preferred Stock (or other securities or amount of cash or combination
thereof) purchasable from time to time hereunder upon exercise of the Rights,
all subject to further adjustment as provided herein.
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(h) Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as
provided in Section 11(i), upon each adjustment of the Exercise Price as a
result of the calculations made in Section 11(b) and (c), each Right outstanding
immediately prior to the making of such adjustment shall thereafter evidence the
right to purchase, at the adjusted Exercise Price, that number of one
ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (calculated to the nearest one
hundred-millionth) as the Board of Directors of the Company determines is
appropriate to preserve the economic value of the Rights, including, by way of
example, that number obtained by (i) multiplying (x) the number of one
ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right may be
exercisable immediately prior to this adjustment by (y) the Exercise Price in
effect immediately prior to such adjustment of the Exercise Price and (ii)
dividing the product so obtained by the Exercise Price in effect immediately
after such adjustment of the Exercise Price.
(i) The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment
of the Exercise Price to adjust the number of Rights, in substitution for any
adjustment in the number of shares of Preferred Stock purchasable upon the
exercise of a Right. Each of the Rights outstanding after the adjustment in the
number of Rights shall be exercisable for the number of one ten-thousandths of a
share of Preferred Stock for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to
such adjustment. Each Right held of record prior to such adjustment of the
number of Rights shall become that number of Rights (calculated to the nearest
one- millionth) obtained by dividing the Exercise Price in effect immediately
prior to adjustment of the Exercise Price by the Exercise Price in effect
immediately after adjustment of the Exercise Price. The Company shall make a
public announcement of its election to adjust the number of Rights, indicating
the record date for the adjustment, and, if known at the time, the amount of the
adjustment to be made. This record date may be the date on which the Exercise
Price is adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the Right Certificates have
been issued, shall be at least ten (10) days later than the date of the public
announcement. If Right Certificates have been issued, upon each adjustment of
the number of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(i), the Company shall, as
promptly as practicable, cause to be distributed to holders of record of Right
Certificates on such record date Right Certificates evidencing, subject to
Section 14 hereof, the additional Rights to which such holders shall be entitled
as a result of such adjustment, or, at the option of the Company, shall cause to
be distributed to such holders of record in substitution and replacement for the
Right Certificates held by such holders prior to the date of adjustment, and
upon surrender thereof, if required by the Company, new Right Certificates
evidencing all the Rights to which such holders shall be entitled after such
adjustment. Right Certificates so to be distributed shall be issued, executed
and countersigned in the manner provided for herein (and may bear, at the option
of the Company, the adjusted Exercise Price) and shall be registered in the
names of the holders of record of Right Certificates on the record date
specified in the public announcement.
(j) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Exercise
Price or the number of one ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock
issuable upon the exercise of the Rights, the Right Certificates theretofore and
thereafter issued may continue to express the
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Exercise Price per share and the number of shares which were expressed in the
initial Right Certificates issued hereunder without prejudice to any adjustment
or change.
(k) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment
reducing the Exercise Price below the then stated value, if any, of the number
of one ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock issuable upon exercise of
the Rights, the Company shall take any corporate action which may, in the
opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order that the Company may validly and
legally issue fully paid and nonassessable shares of Preferred Stock at such
adjusted Exercise Price.
(l) In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an
adjustment in the Exercise Price be made effective as of a record date for a
specified event, the Company may elect to defer until the occurrence of such
event the issuing to the holder of any Right exercised after such record date
the number of one ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock or other capital
stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and
above the number of one ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock and other
capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise
on the basis of the Exercise Price in effect prior to such adjustment; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that the Company shall deliver to such holder a due xxxx or other
appropriate instrument evidencing such holder's right to receive such additional
shares upon the occurrence of the event requiring such adjustment.
(m) Anything in this Section 11 to the contrary notwithstanding,
the Company shall be entitled to make such reductions in the Exercise Price, in
addition to those adjustments expressly required by this Section 11, as and to
the extent that in its good faith judgment the Board of Directors of the Company
shall determine to be advisable in order that any consolidation or subdivision
of the Preferred Stock, issuance wholly for cash of any shares of Preferred
Stock at less than the Fair Market Value, issuance wholly for cash of shares of
Preferred Stock or securities which by their terms are convertible into or
exchangeable for shares of Preferred Stock, stock dividends or issuance of
rights, options or warrants referred to hereinabove in this Section 11,
hereafter made by the Company to holders of its Preferred Stock, shall not be
taxable to such shareholders.
(n) The Company covenants and agrees that it shall not, at any
time after the Distribution Date and so long as the Rights have not been
redeemed pursuant to Section 23 hereof or exchanged pursuant to Section 24
hereof, (i) consolidate with (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a
transaction that complies with the proviso at the end of this sentence), (ii)
merge with or into, or (iii) sell or transfer (or permit any Subsidiary to sell
or transfer), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, assets or
earning power aggregating 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the
Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, to any other Person or Persons
(other than the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries in one or more
transactions each of which complies with the proviso at the end of this
sentence) if (x) at the time of or immediately after such consolidation, merger
or sale there are any rights, warrants or other instruments outstanding or
agreements or arrangements in
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effect which would substantially diminish or otherwise eliminate the benefits
intended to be afforded by the Rights, or (y) prior to, simultaneously with or
immediately after such consolidation, merger or sale the shareholders of a
Person who constitutes, or would constitute, the "Principal Party" for the
purposes of Section 13(a) hereof shall have received a distribution of Rights
previously owned by such Person or any of its Affiliates and Associates;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that this Section 11(n) shall not affect the ability of any
Subsidiary of the Company to consolidate with, or merge with or into, or sell or
transfer assets or earning power to, any other Subsidiary of the Company. The
Company further covenants and agrees that after the Distribution Date it will
not, except as permitted by Section 23 or Section 27 hereof, take (or permit any
Subsidiary to take) any action if at the time such action is taken it is
reasonably foreseeable that such action will substantially diminish or otherwise
eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.
(o) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,
in the event the Company shall at any time after the date of this Agreement and
prior to the Distribution Date (i) declare or pay any dividend on the
outstanding Common Stock of the Company payable in shares of Common Stock of the
Company or (ii) effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the
outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company (by reclassification or
otherwise than by payment of dividends in shares of Common Stock of the Company)
into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock of the Company, then
in any such case (A) the number of one ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred
Stock purchasable after such event upon proper exercise of each Right shall be
determined by multiplying the number of one ten-thousandths of a share of
Preferred Stock so purchasable immediately prior to such event by a fraction,
the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock of the Company
outstanding immediately prior to such event and the denominator of which is the
number of shares of Common Stock of the Company outstanding immediately after
such event, and (B) each share of Common Stock of the Company outstanding
immediately after such event shall have issued with respect to it that number of
Rights which each share of Common Stock of the Company outstanding immediately
prior to such event had issued with respect to it. The adjustments provided for
in this Section 11(o) shall be made successively whenever such a dividend is
declared or paid or such a subdivision, combination or consolidation is
effected.
(p) The exercise of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) shall only
result in the loss of rights under Section 11(a)(ii) to the extent so exercised
and shall not otherwise affect the rights of holders of Right Certificates under
this Rights Agreement, including rights to purchase securities of the Principal
Party following a Section 13 Event which has occurred or may thereafter occur,
as set forth in Section 13 hereof. Upon exercise of a Right Certificate under
Section 11(a)(ii), the Rights Agent shall return such Right Certificate duly
marked to indicate that such exercise has occurred.
Section 12. CERTIFICATE OF ADJUSTED EXERCISE PRICE OR NUMBER OF SHARES.
Whenever an adjustment is made as provided in Section 11 or Section 13 hereof,
the Company shall (a) promptly prepare a certificate setting forth such
adjustment and a brief statement of the facts
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accounting for such adjustment, (b) promptly file with the Rights Agent and with
each transfer agent for the Preferred Stock and the Common Stock of the Company
a copy of such certificate and (c) mail a brief summary thereof to each holder
of a Right Certificate (or, if prior to the Distribution Date, to each holder of
a certificate representing shares of Common Stock of the Company) in accordance
with Section 26 hereof. The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying on
any such certificate and on any adjustment contained therein and shall not be
deemed to have knowledge of any such adjustment unless and until it shall have
received such certificate.
Section 13. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR SALE OR TRANSFER OF ASSETS OR EARNING
POWER.
(a) In the event that, following the Stock Acquisition Date,
directly or indirectly, (x) the Company shall consolidate with, or merge with
and into, any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a
transaction which is not prohibited by Section 11(n) hereof), and the Company
shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation of such consolidation or
merger, (y) any Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction
which is not prohibited by the proviso at the end of the first sentence of
Section 11(n) hereof) shall consolidate with the Company, or merge with and into
the Company and the Company shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of
such merger and, in connection with such merger, all or part of the shares of
Common Stock of the Company shall be changed into or exchanged for stock or
other securities of any other Person or cash or any other property, or (z) the
Company shall sell, mortgage or otherwise transfer (or one or more of its
Subsidiaries shall sell, mortgage or otherwise transfer), in one transaction or
a series of related transactions, assets or earning power aggregating 50% or
more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken
as a whole) to any other Person or Persons (other than the Company or any
Subsidiary of the Company in one or more transactions, each of which is not
prohibited by the proviso at the end of the first sentence of Section 11(n)
hereof), then, and in each such case, proper provision shall be made so that:
(i) each holder of a Right, except as provided in Section 7(e) hereof, shall
have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then current
Exercise Price in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, such number of
validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassessable shares of freely
tradeable Common Stock of the Principal Party (as hereinafter defined in Section
13(b)), free and clear of rights of call or first refusal, liens, encumbrances,
transfer restrictions or other adverse claims, as shall be equal to the result
obtained by (1) multiplying the then current Exercise Price by the number of one
ten-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right is exercisable
immediately prior to the first occurrence of a Section 13 Event, and dividing
that product by (2) 50% of the Fair Market Value (determined pursuant to Section
11(d) hereof) per share of the Common Stock of such Principal Party on the date
of consummation of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer; (ii) such
Principal Party shall thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of
such consolidation, merger, sale, mortgage or transfer, all the obligations and
duties of the Company pursuant to this Agreement; (iii) the term "Company" shall
thereafter be deemed to refer to such Principal Party, it being specifically
intended that the provisions of Section 11 hereof shall apply to such Principal
Party; and (iv) such Principal Party shall take such steps (including, but not
limited
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to, the reservation of a sufficient number of shares of its Common Stock to
permit exercise of all outstanding Rights in accordance with this Section 13(a)
and the making of payments in cash and/or other securities in accordance with
Section 11(a)(iii) hereof) in connection with such consummation as may be
necessary to assure that the provisions hereof shall thereafter be applicable,
as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to its shares of Common Stock
thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights.
(b) "Principal Party" shall mean
(i) in the case of any transaction described in clause (x)
or (y) of the first sentence of Section 13(a), the Person that is the
issuer of any securities into which shares of Common Stock of the
Company are converted in such merger or consolidation, or, if there is
more than one such issuer, the issuer of Common Stock that has the
highest aggregate Fair Market Value (determined pursuant to Section
11(d)), and if no securities are so issued, the Person that is the
other party to the merger or consolidation, or, if there is more than
one such Person, the Person the Common Stock of which has the highest
aggregate Fair Market Value (determined pursuant to Section 11(d)); and
(ii) in the case of any transaction described in clause (z)
of the first sentence of Section 13(a), the Person that is the party
receiving the greatest portion of the assets or earning power
transferred pursuant to such transaction or transactions, or, if each
Person that is a party to such transaction or transactions receives the
same portion of the assets or earning power transferred pursuant to
such transaction or transactions or if the Person receiving the largest
portion of the assets or earning power cannot be determined, whichever
Person the Common Stock of which has the highest aggregate Fair Market
Value (determined pursuant to Section 11(d));
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in any such case, (1) if the Common Stock of such Person
is not at such time and has not been continuously over the preceding 12-month
period registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act ("Registered Common
Stock") or such Person is not a corporation, and such Person is a direct or
indirect Subsidiary or Affiliate of another Person who has Registered Common
Stock outstanding, "Principal Party" shall refer to such other Person; (2) if
the Common Stock of such Person is not Registered Common Stock or such Person is
not a corporation, and such Person is a direct or indirect Subsidiary of another
Person but is not a direct or indirect Subsidiary of another Person which has
Registered Common Stock outstanding, "Principal Party" shall refer to the
ultimate parent entity of such first-mentioned Person; (3) if the Common Stock
of such Person is not Registered Common Stock or such Person is not a
corporation, and such Person is directly or indirectly controlled by more than
one Person, and one or more of such other Persons has Registered Common Stock
outstanding, "Principal Party" shall refer to whichever of such other Persons is
the issuer of the Registered Common Stock having the highest aggregate Fair
Market Value (determined pursuant to Section 11(d)); and (4) if the Common Stock
of such Person is not Registered Common Stock or such Person is not a
corporation, and such Person is directly or
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indirectly controlled by more than one Person, and none of such other Persons
has Registered Common Stock outstanding, "Principal Party" shall refer to
whichever ultimate parent entity is the corporation having the greatest
stockholders' equity or, if no such ultimate parent entity is a corporation,
"Principal Party" shall refer to whichever ultimate parent entity is the entity
having the greatest net assets.
(c) The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation,
merger, sale or transfer unless prior thereto (x) the Principal Party shall have
a sufficient number of authorized shares of its Common Stock, which have not
been issued or reserved for issuance, to permit the exercise in full of the
Rights in accordance with this Section 13, and (y) the Company and each
Principal Party and each other Person who may become a Principal Party as a
result of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer shall have executed and
delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement providing for the terms
set forth in Section 13(a) and (b) and further providing that, as soon as
practicable after the date of any consolidation, merger, sale or transfer of
assets mentioned in Section 13(a), the Principal Party at its own expense will:
(i) prepare and file a registration statement under the
Securities Act with respect to the Rights and the securities
purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, cause
such registration statement to become effective as soon as practicable
after such filing and cause such registration statement to remain
effective (with a prospectus that at all times meets the requirements
of the Securities Act) until the Expiration Date;
(ii) qualify or register the Rights and the securities
purchasable upon exercise of the Rights under the blue sky laws of
such jurisdictions as may be necessary or appropriate;
(iii) list (or continue the listing of) the Rights and the
securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on a national
securities exchange or to meet the eligibility requirements for
quotation on NASDAQ; and
(iv) deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial
statements for the Principal Party and each of its Affiliates which
comply in all respects with the requirements for registration on
Form 10 under the Exchange Act.
(d) In case the Principal Party which is to be a party to a
transaction referred to in this Section 13 has a provision in any of its
authorized securities or in its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or other
instrument governing its affairs, which provision would have the effect of (i)
causing such Principal Party to issue (other than to holders of Rights pursuant
to this Section 13), in connection with, or as a consequence of, the
consummation of a transaction referred to in this Section 13, shares of Common
Stock of such Principal Party at less than the then current Fair Market Value
(determined pursuant to Section 11(d)) or securities exercisable for, or
convertible into, Common Stock of such Principal Party at less
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than such Fair Market Value, or (ii) providing for any special payment, tax or
similar provisions in connection with the issuance of the Common Stock of such
Principal Party pursuant to the provisions of this Section 13, then, in such
event, the Company shall not consummate any such transaction unless prior
thereto the Company and such Principal Party shall have executed and delivered
to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement providing that the provision in
question of such Principal Party shall have been canceled, waived or amended, or
that the authorized securities shall be redeemed, so that the applicable
provision will have no effect in connection with, or as a consequence of, the
consummation of the proposed transaction.
The provisions of this Section 13 shall similarly apply to successive mergers or
consolidations or sales or other transfers.
Section 14. FRACTIONAL RIGHTS AND FRACTIONAL SHARES.
(a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of
Rights, except prior to the Distribution Date as provided in Section 11(o)
hereof, or to distribute Right Certificates which evidence fractional Rights. If
the Company elects not to issue such fractional Rights, the Company shall pay,
in lieu of such fractional Rights, to the registered holders of the Right
Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would otherwise be
issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the Fair Market Value
of a whole Right, as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof.
(b) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of
shares of Preferred Stock (other than fractions which are integral multiples of
one ten-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock) upon exercise of the Rights or
to distribute certificates which evidence fractional shares of Preferred Stock
(other than fractions which are integral multiples of one ten-thousandth of a
share of Preferred Stock). In lieu of fractional shares of Preferred Stock that
are not integral multiples of one ten-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock,
the Company may pay to the registered holders of Right Certificates at the time
such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same
fraction of the Fair Market Value of one ten-thousandth of a share of Preferred
Stock. For purposes of this Section 14(b), the Fair Market Value of one
ten-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock shall be determined pursuant to
Section 11(d) hereof for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such
exercise.
(c) The holder of a Right by the acceptance of the Rights
expressly waives his right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional
shares upon exercise of a Right, except as permitted by this Section 14.
Section 15. RIGHTS OF ACTION. All rights of action in respect of this
Agreement, other than rights of action vested in the Rights Agent pursuant to
Sections 18 and 20 hereof, are vested in the respective registered holders of
the Right Certificates (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered
holders of the Common Stock of the Company); and any
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registered holder of any Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date,
of the Common Stock of the Company), without the consent of the Rights Agent or
of the holder of any other Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution
Date, of the Common Stock of the Company), may, in such registered holder's own
behalf and for such registered holder's own benefit, enforce, and may institute
and maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or
otherwise act in respect of, his right to exercise the Right evidenced by such
Right Certificate in the manner provided in such Right Certificate and in this
Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing or any remedies available to the
holders of Rights, it is specifically acknowledged that the holders of Rights
would not have an adequate remedy at law for any breach of this Agreement and
shall be entitled to specific performance of the obligations hereunder and
injunctive relief against actual or threatened violations of the obligations
hereunder of any Person subject to this Agreement. Holders of Rights shall be
entitled to recover the reasonable costs and expenses, including attorneys'
fees, incurred by them in any action to enforce the provisions of this
Agreement.
Section 16. AGREEMENT OF RIGHT HOLDERS. Every holder of a Right, by
accepting the same, consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights Agent
and with every other holder of a Right that:
(a) prior to the Distribution Date, each Right will be
transferable only simultaneously and together with the transfer of shares of
Common Stock of the Company;
(b) after the Distribution Date, the Right Certificates are
transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at
the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, duly
endorsed or accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer;
(c) subject to Sections 6(a) and 7(f), the Company and the
Rights Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name a Right Certificate
(or, prior to the Distribution Date, the associated certificate representing
Common Stock of the Company) is registered as the absolute owner thereof and of
the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of ownership or
writing on the Right Certificates or the associated certificate representing
Common Stock of the Company made by anyone other than the Company or the Rights
Agent) for all purposes whatsoever, and, subject to the last sentence of Section
7(e), neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall be affected by any notice
to the contrary; and
(d) notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,
neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder
of a Right or other Person as the result of its inability to perform any of its
obligations under this Agreement by reason of any preliminary or permanent
injunction or other order, decree or ruling issued by a court of competent
jurisdiction or by a governmental, regulatory or administrative agency or
commission, or any statute, rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or
enacted by any governmental authority prohibiting or otherwise restraining
performance of such obligations; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company must use
its best efforts to have any such order, decree
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or ruling lifted or otherwise overturned as soon as possible.
Section 17. RIGHT CERTIFICATE HOLDER NOT DEEMED A SHAREHOLDER. No holder,
as such, of any Right Certificate shall be entitled to vote, receive dividends
or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the shares of Preferred Stock or any
other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the
exercise of the Rights represented thereby, nor shall anything contained herein
or in any Right Certificate be construed to confer upon the holder of any Right
Certificate, as such, any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company or any
right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to
shareholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any
corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting
shareholders (except as provided in Section 25 hereof), or to receive dividends
or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by
such Right Certificate shall have been exercised in accordance with the
provisions hereof.
Section 18. CONCERNING THE RIGHTS AGENT.
(a) The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent such
compensation as shall be agreed to in writing between the Company and the Rights
Agent for all services rendered by it hereunder and, from time to time, on
demand of the Rights Agent, its reasonable expenses and counsel fees and
disbursements and other disbursements incurred in the administration and
execution of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties
hereunder. The Company also agrees to indemnify the Rights Agent for, and to
hold it harmless against, any loss, liability, or expense, incurred without
gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on the part of the Rights
Agent, for anything done or omitted by the Rights Agent in connection with the
acceptance and administration of this Agreement, including the costs and
expenses of defending against any claim of liability arising therefrom, directly
or indirectly. The provisions of this Section 18(a) shall survive the expiration
of the Rights and the termination of this Agreement.
(b) The Rights Agent shall be protected and shall incur no
liability for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in
connection with its administration of this Agreement in reliance upon any Right
Certificate or certificate representing Common Stock of the Company, Preferred
Stock, or other securities of the Company, instrument of assignment or transfer,
power of attorney, endorsement, affidavit, letter, notice, direction, consent,
certificate, statement, or other paper or document believed by it in good faith
and without negligence to be genuine and to be signed and executed by the proper
Person or Persons.
(c) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for consequential
damages under any provision of this Agreement or for any consequential damages
arising out of any act or failure to act hereunder.
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Section 19. MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION OR CHANGE OF NAME OF RIGHTS AGENT.
(a) Any corporation into which the Rights Agent or any successor
Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any
corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent
or any successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to
the corporate trust or shareholder services business of the Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights Agent under this
Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the
part of any of the parties hereto, provided that such corporation would be
eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under the provisions of
Section 21 hereof. In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall succeed
to the agency created by this Agreement, any of the Right Certificates shall
have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor Rights Agent may
adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Rights Agent and deliver such
Right Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Right
Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor Rights Agent may
countersign such Right Certificates either in the name of the predecessor or in
the name of the successor Rights Agent; and in all such cases such Right
Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates and in
this Agreement.
(b) In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be
changed and at such time any of the Right Certificates shall have been
countersigned but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature
under its prior name and deliver Right Certificates so countersigned; and in
case at that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been
countersigned, the Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either
in its prior name or in its changed name; and in all such cases such Right
Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates and in
this Agreement.
Section 20. DUTIES OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Rights Agent undertakes the duties
and obligations expressly imposed by this Agreement upon the following terms and
conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Right Certificates,
by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:
(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel selected by
it (who may be legal counsel for the Company), and the opinion of such counsel
shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent as
to any action taken or omitted by it in good faith and in accordance with such
opinion.
(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this
Agreement the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or
matter (including, without limitation, the identity of any Acquiring Person or
Adverse Person and the determination of "Fair Market Value") be proved or
established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder,
such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof shall be herein
specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established
by a certificate signed by a person believed by the Rights Agent to be the
Chairman of the Board of
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Directors, a Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, the President, a Vice
President, the Treasurer, any Assistant Treasurer, the Clerk or an Assistant
Clerk of the Company and delivered to the Rights Agent. Any such certificate
shall be full authorization to the Rights Agent for any action taken or suffered
in good faith by it under the provisions of this Agreement in reliance upon such
certificate.
(c) The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own
gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct.
(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any
of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Agreement or in the
Right Certificates (except its countersignature thereof) or be required to
verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to
have been made by the Company only.
(e) The Rights Agent shall not be under any responsibility in
respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof
(except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect of the
validity or execution of any Right Certificate (except its countersignature
thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any
covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Right Certificate;
nor shall it be responsible for any change in the exercisability of the Rights
(including the Rights becoming void pursuant to Section 7(e) hereof) or any
adjustment required under the provisions of Sections 11, 13 or 23(c) hereof or
responsible for the manner, method or amount of any such adjustment or the
ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment
(except with respect to the exercise of Rights evidenced by Right Certificates
after receipt of a certificate describing any such adjustment furnished in
accordance with Section 12 hereof), nor shall it be responsible for any
determination by the Board of Directors of the Company of the Fair Market Value
of the Rights or Preferred Stock pursuant to the provisions of Section 14
hereof; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation
or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock
of the Company or Preferred Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any
Right Certificate or as to whether any shares of Common Stock of the Company or
Preferred Stock will, when so issued, be validly authorized and issued, fully
paid and nonassessable.
(f) The Company agrees that it will perform, execute,
acknowledge and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and
delivered all such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may
reasonably be required by the Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing by
the Rights Agent of the provisions of this Agreement.
(g) The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept
instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder and
certificates delivered pursuant to any provision hereof from any person believed
by the Rights Agent to be the Chairman of the Board of Directors, any Vice
Chairman of the Board of Directors, the President, a Vice President, the Clerk,
an Assistant Clerk, the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer of the Company, and
is authorized to apply to such officers for advice or instructions in connection
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with its duties, and it shall not be liable for any action taken or suffered to
be taken by it in good faith in accordance with instructions of any such
officer. Any application by the Rights Agent for written instructions from the
Company may, at the option of the Rights Agent, set forth in writing any action
proposed to be taken or omitted by the Rights Agent under this Agreement and the
date on or after which such action shall be taken or such omission shall be
effective. The Rights Agent shall not be liable for any action taken by, or
omission of, the Rights Agent in accordance with a proposal included in such
application on or after the date specified in such application (which date shall
not be less than five Business Days after the date any officer of the Company
actually receives such application, unless any such officer shall have consented
in writing to an earlier date) unless, prior to taking any such action (or the
effective date in the case of an omission), the Rights Agent shall have received
written instructions in response to such application specifying the action to be
taken or omitted.
(h) The Rights Agent and any shareholder, director, officer or
employee of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or other
securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any transaction in
which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend money to the
Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were not the Rights
Agent under this Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent from
acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other legal entity.
(i) The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights
or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself or by
or through its attorneys or agents.
(j) No provision of this Agreement shall require the Rights
Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability
in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of its
rights if there shall be reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such
funds or adequate indemnification against such risk or liability is not
reasonably assured to it.
(k) If, with respect to any Right Certificate surrendered to
the Rights Agent for exercise or transfer, the certificate attached to the form
of assignment or form of election to purchase, as the case may be, has either
not been completed or indicates an affirmative response to clause (1) or clause
(2) thereof, the Rights Agent shall not take any further action with respect to
such requested exercise or transfer without first consulting with the Company.
Section 21. CHANGE OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Rights Agent or any successor
Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Agreement
upon thirty (30) days' notice in writing mailed to the Company by first class
mail. The Company may remove the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent
(with or without cause), effective immediately or on a specified date, by
written notice given to the Rights Agent or successor Rights Agent, as the case
may be, and to each transfer agent of the Common Stock of the Company and
Preferred Stock, and by giving notice to the holders of the Right Certificates
by any means reasonably determined by the Company to inform such holders of such
removal (including
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without limitation, by including such information in one or more of the
Company's reports to shareholders or reports or filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission). If the Rights Agent shall resign or be removed or shall
otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to
the Rights Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a
period of thirty (30) days after giving notice of such removal or after it has
been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or
incapacitated Rights Agent or by the holder of a Right Certificate (who shall,
with such notice, submit his Right Certificate for inspection by the Company),
then the incumbent Rights Agent or the registered holder of any Right
Certificate may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment
of a new Rights Agent. Any successor Rights Agent, whether appointed by the
Company or by such a court, shall be (a) a corporation organized and doing
business under the laws of the United States or of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts or the State of New York (or of any other state of the United
States so long as such corporation is authorized to do business as a banking
institution in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the State of New York), in
good standing, which is authorized under such laws to exercise stock transfer or
corporate trust powers and is subject to supervision or examination by federal
or state authority and which has at the time of its appointment as Rights Agent
a combined capital and surplus of at least $100,000,000 or (b) an Affiliate of a
corporation described in clause (a) of this sentence. After appointment, the
successor Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and
responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent without
further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver and transfer
to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and
execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or deed necessary for
the purpose. Not later than the effective date of any such appointment, the
Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the predecessor Rights Agent
and each transfer agent of the Common Stock of the Company and the Preferred
Stock, and mail a notice thereof in writing to the registered holders of the
Right Certificates. Failure to give any notice provided for in this Section 21,
however, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of the
resignation or removal of the Rights Agent or the appointment of the successor
Rights Agent, as the case may be.
Section 22. ISSUANCE OF NEW RIGHT CERTIFICATES. Notwithstanding any of the
provisions of this Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the Company may,
at its option, issue new Right Certificates evidencing Rights in such form as
may be approved by the Board of Directors of the Company to reflect any
adjustment or change in the Exercise Price per share and the number or kind or
class of shares of stock or other securities or property purchasable under the
Right Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. In
addition, in connection with the issuance or sale of shares of Common Stock of
the Company following the Distribution Date and prior to the redemption or
expiration of the Rights, the Company (a) shall, with respect to shares of
Common Stock of the Company so issued or sold pursuant to the exercise of stock
options or under any employee plan or arrangement, or upon the exercise,
conversion or exchange of securities hereafter issued by the Company, and (b)
may, in any other case, if deemed necessary or appropriate by the Board of
Directors of the Company, issue Right Certificates representing the appropriate
number of Rights in connection with such issuance or sale; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that (i) no such Right Certificate shall be issued
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if, and to the extent that, the Company shall be advised by counsel that such
issuance would create a significant risk of material adverse tax consequences to
the Company or the person to whom such Right Certificate would be issued, and
(ii) no such Right Certificate shall be issued if, and to the extent that,
appropriate adjustments shall otherwise have been made in lieu of the issuance
thereof.
Section 23. REDEMPTION.
(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option,
redeem all but not less than all of the then outstanding Rights at a redemption
price of $0.01 per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any dividend
declared or paid on the Common Stock of the Company in shares of Common Stock of
the Company or any subdivision or combination of the outstanding shares of
Common Stock of the Company or similar event occurring after the date of this
Agreement (such redemption price, as adjusted from time to time, being
hereinafter referred to as the "Redemption Price"). The Rights may be redeemed
only until the earliest to occur of (i) the time at which any Person becomes an
Acquiring Person, (ii) the declaration by the Board of Directors that any Person
is an Adverse Person or (iii) the Final Expiration Date.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the
Company ordering the redemption of the Rights in accordance with Section 23
hereof, and without any further action and without any notice, the right to
exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right thereafter of the holders
of Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price for each Right so held.
Promptly after the action of the Board of Directors of the Company ordering the
redemption of the Rights in accordance with Section 23 hereof, the Company shall
give notice of such redemption to the Rights Agent and the holders of the then
outstanding Rights by mailing such notice to the Rights Agent and to all such
holders at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the
Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the
Transfer Agent for the Common Stock of the Company. Any notice which is mailed
in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder
receives the notice. The Company promptly shall mail a notice of any such
exchange to all of the holders of such Rights at their last addresses as they
appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent. Any notice which is mailed
in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder
receives the notice. Each such notice of redemption will state the method by
which the payment of the Redemption Price will be made. Neither the Company nor
any of its Affiliates or Associates may redeem, acquire or purchase for value
any Rights at any time in any manner other than that specifically set forth in
this Section 23 or Section 24 hereof or in connection with the purchase of
shares of Common Stock of the Company prior to the Distribution Date.
(c) The Company may, at its option, pay the Redemption Price in
cash, shares of Common Stock of the Company (based on the Fair Market Value of
the Common Stock of the Company as of the time of redemption) or any other form
of consideration deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors of the Company.
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Section 24. EXCHANGE.
(a) (i) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its
option, at any time on or after the occurrence of a Section
11(a)(ii) Event, exchange all or part of the then outstanding
and exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that
have become void pursuant to the provisions of Section 7(e)
hereof) for shares of Common Stock of the Company at an
exchange ratio of one share of Common Stock of the Company per
Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split,
stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date
hereof (such exchange ratio being hereinafter referred to as
the "Section 24(a)(i) Exchange Ratio"). Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Board of Directors of the Company shall not be
empowered to effect such exchange at any time after any Person
(other than an Exempt Person), together with all Affiliates
and Associates of such Person, becomes the Beneficial Owner of
50% or more of the Common Stock of the Company.
(ii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of
Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any time on or
after the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, exchange
all or part of the then outstanding and exercisable Rights
(which shall not include Rights that have become void pursuant
to the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof) for shares of Common
Stock of the Company at an exchange ratio specified in the
following sentence, as appropriately adjusted to reflect any
stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring
after the date of this Agreement. Subject to the adjustment
described in the foregoing sentence, each Right may be
exchanged for that number of shares of Common Stock of the
Company obtained by dividing the Spread (as defined in Section
11(a)(iii)) by the then Fair Market Value per one ten-
thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock on the earlier of (x)
the date on which any person becomes an Acquiring Person or
(y) the date on which a tender or exchange offer by any Person
(other than an Exempt Person) is first published or sent or
given within the meaning of Rule 14d-4(a) of the Exchange Act
or any successor rule, if upon consummation thereof such
Person would be the Beneficial Owner of more than 15% of the
shares of Common Stock of the Company then outstanding (such
exchange ratio being referred to herein as the "Section
24(a)(ii) Exchange Ratio"). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Board of Directors of the Company shall not be empowered to
effect such exchange at any time after any Person (other than
an Exempt Person), together with all Affiliates and Associates
of such Person, becomes the Beneficial Owner of 50% or more of
the Common Stock of the Company.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of
the Company ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to subsection (a) of
this Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the right
to exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a
holder of such Rights shall be to receive that number of shares of
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Common Stock of the Company equal to the number of such Rights held by such
holder multiplied by the Section 24(a)(i) Exchange Ratio or the Section
24(a)(ii) Exchange Ratio, as applicable. The Company shall promptly give notice
of any such exchange in accordance with Section 26 hereof and shall promptly
mail a notice of any such exchange to all of the holders of such Rights at their
last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall
not affect the validity of such exchange. Any notice which is mailed in the
manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives
the notice. Each such notice of exchange will state the method by which the
exchange of the shares of Common Stock of the Company for Rights will be
effected and, in the event of any partial exchange, the number of Rights which
will be exchanged. Any partial exchange shall be effected pro rata based on the
number of Rights (other than Rights which have become void pursuant to the
provisions of Section 7(e) hereof) held by each holder of Rights.
(c) In any exchange pursuant to this Section 24, the Company, at
its option, may substitute Preferred Stock (or Preferred Stock Equivalent, as
such term is defined in Section 11(b) hereof) for Common Stock of the Company
exchangeable for Rights, at the initial rate of one ten-thousandth of a share of
Preferred Stock (or Preferred Stock Equivalent) for each share of Common Stock
of the Company, as appropriately adjusted to reflect adjustments in the voting
rights of the Preferred Stock pursuant to the terms thereof, so that the
fraction of a share of Preferred Stock delivered in lieu of each share of Common
Stock of the Company shall have the same voting rights as one share of Common
Stock of the Company.
(d) In the event that there shall not be sufficient shares of
Common Stock of the Company or Preferred Stock (or Preferred Stock Equivalents)
issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit any exchange of
Rights as contemplated in accordance with this Section 24, the Company shall
take all such action as may be necessary to authorize additional shares of
Common Stock of the Company or Preferred Stock (or Preferred Stock Equivalent)
for issuance upon exchange of the Rights.
(e) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of
Common Stock of the Company or to distribute certificates which evidence
fractional shares of Common Stock of the Company. If the Company elects not to
issue such fractional shares of Common Stock of the Company, the Company shall
pay, in lieu of such fractional shares of Common Stock of the Company, to the
registered holders of the Right Certificates with regard to which such
fractional shares of Common Stock of the Company would otherwise be issuable, an
amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the Fair Market Value of a whole
share of Common Stock of the Company. For the purposes of this paragraph (e),
the Fair Market Value of a whole share of Common Stock of the Company shall be
the closing price of a share of Common Stock of the Company (as determined
pursuant to the second sentence of Section 11(d)(i) hereof) for the Trading Day
immediately prior to the date of exchange pursuant to this Section 24.
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Section 25. NOTICE OF CERTAIN EVENTS.
(a) In case the Company shall propose, at any time after the
Distribution Date, (i) to pay any dividend payable in stock of any class to the
holders of Preferred Stock or to make any other distribution to the holders of
Preferred Stock (other than a regular periodic cash dividend out of earnings or
retained earnings of the Company), or (ii) to offer to the holders of Preferred
Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any additional shares
of Preferred Stock or shares of stock of any class or any other securities,
rights or options, or (iii) to effect any reclassification of its Preferred
Stock (other than a reclassification involving only the subdivision of
outstanding shares of Preferred Stock), or (iv) to effect any consolidation or
merger into or with, or to effect any sale, mortgage or other transfer (or to
permit one or more of its Subsidiaries to effect any sale, mortgage or other
transfer), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, of 50% or
more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken
as a whole) to, any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in one
or more transactions each of which is not prohibited by the proviso at the end
of the first sentence of Section 11(n) hereof), (v) to effect the liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the Company, or (vi) to declare or pay any dividend
on the Common Stock of the Company payable in Common Stock of the Company or to
effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Stock of the
Company (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common
Stock of the Company) then in each such case, the Company shall give to each
holder of a Right Certificate and to the Rights Agent, in accordance with
Section 26 hereof, a notice of such proposed action, which shall specify the
record date for the purposes of such stock dividend, distribution of rights or
warrants, or the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger,
sale, transfer, liquidation, dissolution, or winding up is to take place and the
date of participation therein by the holders of the shares of Common Stock of
the Company and/or Preferred Stock, if any such date is to be fixed, and such
notice shall be so given in the case of any action covered by clause (i) or (ii)
above at least twenty (20) days prior to the record date for determining holders
of the shares of Preferred Stock for purposes of such action, and in the case of
any such other action, at least twenty (20) days prior to the date of the taking
of such proposed action or the date of participation therein by the holders of
the shares of Common Stock of the Company and/or Preferred Stock, whichever
shall be the earlier; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, no such notice shall be required
pursuant to this Section 25 as a result of any Subsidiary of the Company
effecting a consolidation or merger with or into, or effecting a sale or other
transfer of assets or earnings power to, any other Subsidiary of the Company in
a manner not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement.
(b) In case any Section 11(a)(ii) Event shall occur, then, in
any such case, the Company shall as soon as practicable thereafter give to each
registered holder of a Right Certificate and to the Rights Agent, in accordance
with Section 26 hereof, a notice of the occurrence of such event, which shall
specify the event and the consequences of the event to holders of Rights under
Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
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Section 26. NOTICES. Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be
given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any Right Certificate to
or on the Company shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class
mail, postage prepaid, by facsimile transmission or by nationally-recognized
overnight courier addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the
Rights Agent) as follows:
Brooktrout Technology, Inc.
000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Chief Financial Officer
Subject to the provisions of Section 21, any notice or demand authorized by this
Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the holder of any Right
Certificate to or on the Rights Agent shall be sufficiently given or made if
sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, by facsimile transmission or by
nationally-recognized overnight courier addressed (until another address is
filed in writing with the Company) as follows:
State Street Bank and Trust Company
c/o Boston EquiServe, Limited Partnership
000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Administration
Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the
Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Right Certificate (or, prior to
the Distribution Date, to the holder of any certificate representing shares of
Common Stock of the Company) shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by
first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such holder at the address of
such holder as shown on the registry books of the Company.
Section 27. SUPPLEMENTS AND AMENDMENTS. Prior to the occurrence of a
Section 11(a)(ii) Event, the Company and the Rights Agent shall, if the Board of
Directors of the Company so directs, supplement or amend any provision of this
Agreement as the Board of Directors of the Company may deem necessary or
desirable without the approval of any holders of certificates representing
shares of Common Stock of the Company. From and after the occurrence of a
Section 11(a)(ii) Event, the Company and the Rights Agent shall, if the Board of
Directors of the Company so directs, supplement or amend this Agreement without
the approval of any holder of Right Certificates in order (i) to cure any
ambiguity, (ii) to correct or supplement any provision contained herein which
may be defective or inconsistent with any other provisions herein, (iii) to
shorten or lengthen any time period hereunder, or (iv) to change or supplement
the provisions hereof in any manner which the Board of Directors of the Company
may deem necessary or desirable and which shall not adversely affect the
interests of the holders of Right Certificates (other than an Acquiring Person,
Adverse Person or any Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person or Adverse
Person); PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that from and after the occurrence of a Section
11(a)(ii) Event this Agreement may not be
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supplemented or amended to lengthen, pursuant to clause (iii) of this sentence,
(A) a time period relating to when the Rights may be redeemed at such time as
the Rights are not then redeemable or (B) any other time period unless such
lengthening is for the purpose of protecting, enhancing or clarifying the rights
of, and the benefits to, the holders of Rights (other than an Acquiring Person,
Adverse Person or any Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person or Adverse
Person). Without limiting the foregoing, the Company may at any time prior to
the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event amend this Agreement to lower the
threshold set forth in Section 1(a) to not less than the greater of (i) the sum
of .001% and the largest percentage of the outstanding Common Stock of the
Company then known by the Company to be beneficially owned by any Person (other
than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of
the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, or any entity holding Common Stock
of the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) and (ii) 10%. Upon
the delivery of such certificate from an appropriate officer of the Company
which states that the proposed supplement or amendment is in compliance with the
terms of this Section 27, the Rights Agent shall execute such supplement or
amendment. Prior to the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, the interests
of the holders of Rights shall be deemed coincident with the interests of the
holders of Common Stock of the Company. Notwithstanding any other provision
hereof, the Rights Agent's consent must be obtained regarding any amendment or
supplement pursuant to this Section 27 which alters the Rights Agent's rights or
duties.
Section 28. SUCCESSORS. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement
by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind and inure to
the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
Section 29. DETERMINATIONS AND ACTIONS BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. For all
purposes of this Agreement, any calculation of the number of shares of Common
Stock of the Company outstanding at any particular time, including for purposes
of determining the particular percentage of such outstanding shares of Common
Stock of the Company of which any Person is the Beneficial Owner, shall be made
in accordance with the last sentence of Rule 13d- 3(d)(1)(i) of the Rules under
the Exchange Act as in effect on the date hereof. The Board of Directors of the
Company shall have the exclusive power and authority to administer this
Agreement and to exercise all rights and powers specifically granted to the
Board of Directors or to the Company, or as may be necessary or advisable in the
administration of this Agreement, including without limitation, the right and
power to (i) interpret the provisions of this Agreement and (ii) make all
determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of this
Agreement (including a determination to redeem or not redeem the Rights or to
amend the Agreement). All such actions, calculations, interpretations and
determinations (including, for purposes of clause (y) below, all omissions with
respect to the foregoing) which are done or made by the Board of Directors in
good faith shall (x) be final, conclusive and binding on the Company, the Rights
Agent, the holders of the Rights and all other parties, and (y) not subject any
member of the Board of Directors to any liability to the holders of the Rights
or to any other person.
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Section 30. BENEFITS OF THIS AGREEMENT. Nothing in this Agreement shall be
construed to give to any person or corporation other than the Company, the
Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to
the Distribution Date, the Common Stock of the Company) any legal or equitable
right, remedy or claim under this Agreement; but this Agreement shall be for the
sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered
holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date,
registered holders of the Common Stock of the Company).
Section 31. SEVERABILITY. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction
of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other
authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms,
provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in full
force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the
contrary, if any such term, provision, covenant or restriction is held by such
court or authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable and the Board of
Directors of the Company determines in its good faith judgment that severing the
invalid language from the Agreement would adversely affect the purpose or effect
of the Agreement, the right of redemption set forth in Section 23 hereof shall
be reinstated and shall not expire until the Close of Business on the tenth day
following the date of such determination by the Board of Directors.
Section 32. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement, each Right and each Right
Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the
laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and for all purposes shall be governed
by and construed in accordance with the laws of such Commonwealth applicable to
contracts to be made and to be performed entirely within such Commonwealth. The
courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and of the United States of America
located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (the "Massachusetts Courts") shall
have exclusive jurisdiction over any litigation arising out of or relating to
this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, and any Person
commencing or otherwise involved in any such litigation shall waive any
objection to the laying of venue of such litigation in the Massachusetts Courts
and shall not plead or claim in any Massachusetts Court that such litigation
brought therein has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
Section 33. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in any number of
counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to
be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and
the same instrument.
Section 34. DESCRIPTIVE HEADINGS. Descriptive headings of the several
Sections of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not
control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.
[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
duly executed as an instrument under seal and attested, all as of the day and
year first above written.
ATTEST: BROOKTROUT TECHNOLOGY, INC.
By: /s/ Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx By: Xxxx X. Xxxxx
--------------------- -------------------------
Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: President
ATTEST: STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST
COMPANY, as Rights Agent
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx By: /s/ Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
---------------------- -------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
Title: Administration
Manager
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EXHIBIT A
VOTE OF DIRECTORS ESTABLISHING
SERIES A JUNIOR PARTICIPATING CUMULATIVE
PREFERRED STOCK
of
BROOKTROUT TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Pursuant to Section 26 of Chapter 156B of the General Laws of The
Commonwealth of Massachusetts:
VOTED, that pursuant to authority conferred upon and vested in the Board of
Directors by the Restated Articles of Organization, as amended (the "Articles"),
of Brooktrout Technology, Inc. (the "Corporation"), the Board of Directors
hereby establishes and designates a series of Preferred Stock of the
Corporation, and hereby fixes and determines the relative rights and preferences
of the shares of such series, in addition to those set forth in the Articles, as
follows:
Section 1. DESIGNATION AND AMOUNT. The shares of such series shall be
designated as "Series A Junior Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock" (the
"Series A Preferred Stock"), and the number of shares constituting such series
shall be 20,000.
Section 2. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS.
(A) (i) Subject to the rights of the holders of any shares of any series of
preferred stock (or any similar stock) ranking prior and superior to the Series
A Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, the holders of shares of Series A
Preferred Stock, in preference to the holders of shares of common stock and of
any other junior stock, shall be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared
by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for the purpose,
quarterly dividends payable in cash on the first day of March, June, September
and December in each year (each such date being referred to herein as a
"Quarterly Dividend Payment Date"), commencing on the first Quarterly Dividend
Payment Date after the first issuance of a share or fraction of a share of
Series A Preferred Stock, in an amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent)
equal to the greater of (a) $1.00 or (b) subject to the provisions for
adjustment hereinafter set forth, 10,000 times the aggregate per share amount of
all cash dividends, and 10,000 times the aggregate per share amount (payable in
kind) of all non-cash dividends or other distributions other than a dividend
payable in shares of common stock or a subdivision of the outstanding shares of
common stock (by reclassification or otherwise), declared on the common stock
since the immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, or, with
respect to the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, since the first issuance
of any share or fraction of a share of Series A Preferred Stock. The multiple of
cash and non-cash dividends declared on the common stock to which holders of the
Series A Preferred Stock are entitled, which shall be 10,000 initially but which
shall
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be adjusted from time to time as hereinafter provided, is hereinafter referred
to as the "Dividend Multiple." In the event the Corporation shall at any time
after September 9, 1998 (the "Rights Declaration Date") (i) declare or pay any
dividend on common stock payable in shares of common stock, or (ii) effect a
subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of common
stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares
of common stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of common stock, then
in each such case the Dividend Multiple thereafter applicable to the
determination of the amount of dividends which holders of shares of Series A
Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive shall be the Dividend Multiple
applicable immediately prior to such event multiplied by a fraction, the
numerator of which is the number of shares of common stock outstanding
immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of
shares of common stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
(ii) Notwithstanding anything else contained in this paragraph (A), the
Corporation shall, out of funds legally available for that purpose, declare a
dividend or distribution on the Series A Preferred Stock as provided in this
paragraph (A) immediately after it declares a dividend or distribution on the
common stock (other than a dividend payable in shares of common stock); provided
that, in the event no dividend or distribution shall have been declared on the
common stock during the period between any Quarterly Dividend Payment Date and
the next subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, a dividend of $1.00 per
share on the Series A Preferred Stock shall nevertheless be payable on such
subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date.
(B) Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on outstanding shares
of Series A Preferred Stock from the Quarterly Dividend Payment Date next
preceding the date of issue of such shares of Series A Preferred Stock, unless
the date of issue of such shares is prior to the record date for the first
Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in which case dividends on such shares shall
begin to accrue from the date of issue of such shares, or unless the date of
issue is a Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or is a date after the record date
for the determination of holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock entitled
to receive a quarterly dividend and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date,
in either of which events such dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative
from such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date. Accrued but unpaid dividends shall
not bear interest. Dividends paid on the shares of Series A Preferred Stock in
an amount less than the total amount of such dividends at the time accrued and
payable on such shares shall be allocated pro rata on a share-by-share basis
among all such shares at the time outstanding. The Board of Directors may fix in
accordance with applicable law a record date for the determination of holders of
shares of Series A Preferred Stock entitled to receive payment of a dividend or
distribution declared thereon, which record date shall be not more than such
number of days prior to the date fixed for the payment thereof as may be allowed
by applicable law.
Section 3. VOTING RIGHTS. In addition to any other voting rights required
by law, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall have the
following voting rights:
(A) Subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, each
share of Series A Preferred Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to 10,000
votes on all matters submitted to a vote
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of the stockholders of the Corporation. The number of votes which a holder of a
share of Series A Preferred Stock is entitled to cast, which shall initially be
10,000 but which may be adjusted from time to time as hereinafter provided, is
hereinafter referred to as the "Vote Multiple." In the event the Corporation
shall at any time after the Rights Declaration Date (i) declare or pay any
dividend on common stock payable in shares of common stock, or (ii) effect a
subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of common
stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares
of common stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of common stock, then
in each such case the Vote Multiple thereafter applicable to the determination
of the number of votes per share to which holders of shares of Series A
Preferred Stock shall be entitled shall be the Vote Multiple immediately prior
to such event multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of
shares of common stock outstanding immediately after such event and the
denominator of which is the number of shares of common stock that were
outstanding immediately prior to such event.
(B) Except as otherwise provided herein or by law, the holders of shares of
Series A Preferred Stock and the holders of shares of common stock and the
holders of shares of any other capital stock of this Corporation having general
voting rights, shall vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a
vote of stockholders of the Corporation.
(C) Except as otherwise required by applicable law or as set forth herein,
holders of Series A Preferred Stock shall have no special voting rights and
their consent shall not be required (except to the extent they are entitled to
vote with holders of common stock as set forth herein) for taking any corporate
action.
Section 4. CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS.
(A) Whenever dividends or distributions payable on the Series A Preferred
Stock as provided in Section 2 are in arrears, thereafter and until all accrued
and unpaid dividends and distributions, whether or not declared, on shares of
Series A Preferred Stock outstanding shall have been paid in full, the
Corporation shall not:
(i) declare or pay dividends on, make any other distributions on, or
redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any
shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series A Preferred
Stock;
(ii) declare or pay dividends on or make any other distributions on
any shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends
or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series A
Preferred Stock, except dividends paid ratably on the Series A
Preferred Stock and all such parity stock on which dividends are
payable or in arrears in proportion to the total amounts to which
the holders of all such shares are then entitled;
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(iii) except as permitted in subsection 4(A)(iv) below, redeem,
purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration shares of any
stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series A
Preferred Stock, provided that the Corporation may at any time
redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire shares of any such parity
stock in exchange for shares of any stock of the Corporation
ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon dissolution,
liquidation or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock; or
(iv) purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of
Series A Preferred Stock, or any shares of any stock ranking on a
parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution
or winding up) with the Series A Preferred Stock, except in
accordance with a purchase offer made in writing or by
publication (as determined by the Board of Directors) to all
holders of such shares upon such terms as the Board of Directors,
after consideration of the respective annual dividend rates and
other relative rights and preferences of the respective series
and classes, shall determine in good faith will result in fair
and equitable treatment among the respective series or classes.
(B) The Corporation shall not permit any subsidiary of the Corporation to
purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock of the
Corporation unless the Corporation could, under subsection (A) of this Section
4, purchase or otherwise acquire such shares at such time and in such manner.
Section 5. REACQUIRED SHARES. Any shares of Series A Preferred Stock
purchased or otherwise acquired by the Corporation in any manner whatsoever
shall be retired and canceled promptly after the acquisition thereof. All such
shares shall upon their cancellation become authorized but unissued shares of
preferred stock and may be reissued as part of a new series of preferred stock
to be created by resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors, subject to
the conditions and restrictions on issuance set forth herein.
Section 6. LIQUIDATION, DISSOLUTION OR WINDING UP. Upon any liquidation
(voluntary or otherwise), dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, no
distribution shall be made (x) to the holders of shares of stock ranking junior
(either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the
Series A Preferred Stock unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of Series
A Preferred Stock shall have received an amount equal to accrued and unpaid
dividends and distributions thereon, whether or not declared, to the date of
such payment, plus an amount equal to the greater of (1) $10,000.00 per share or
(2) an aggregate amount per share, subject to the provision for adjustment
hereinafter set forth, equal to 10,000 times the aggregate amount to be
distributed per share to holders of common stock, or (y) to the holders of stock
ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or
winding up) with the Series A Preferred Stock, except distributions made ratably
on the Series A Preferred Stock and all other such parity stock in proportion to
the total amounts to which the holders of all such shares are entitled upon such
liquidation, dissolution or winding up. In the event the Corporation shall at
any time after the Rights Declaration Date (i) declare or pay any dividend on
common stock payable in shares
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of common stock, or (ii) effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of
the outstanding shares of common stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by
payment of a dividend in shares of common stock) into a greater or lesser number
of shares of common stock, then in each such case the aggregate amount per share
to which holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock were entitled immediately
prior to such event under clause (x) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted
by multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number
of shares of common stock outstanding immediately after such event and the
denominator of which is the number of shares of common stock that were
outstanding immediately prior to such event.
Neither the consolidation of nor merging of the Corporation with or into
any other corporation or corporations, nor the sale or other transfer of all or
substantially all of the assets of the Corporation, shall be deemed to be a
liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation within the meaning of
this Section 6.
Section 7. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, ETC. In case the Corporation shall enter
into any consolidation, merger, combination or other transaction in which the
shares of common stock are exchanged for or changed into other stock or
securities, cash and/or any other property, then in any such case the shares of
Series A Preferred Stock shall at the same time be similarly exchanged or
changed in an amount per share (subject to the provision for adjustment
hereinafter set forth) equal to 10,000 times the aggregate amount of stock,
securities, cash and/or any other property (payable in kind), as the case may
be, into which or for which each share of common stock is changed or exchanged,
plus accrued and unpaid dividends, if any, payable with respect to the Series A
Preferred Stock. In the event the Corporation shall at any time after the Rights
Declaration Date (i) declare or pay any dividend on common stock payable in
shares of common stock, or (ii) effect a subdivision or combination or
consolidation of the outstanding shares of common stock (by reclassification or
otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of common stock) into a
greater or lesser number of shares of common stock, then in each such case the
amount set forth in the preceding sentence with respect to the exchange or
change of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall be adjusted by multiplying
such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of
common stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of
which is the number of shares of common stock that were outstanding immediately
prior to such event.
Section 8. REDEMPTION. The shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall not be
redeemable.
Section 9. RANKING. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Articles or
a Certificate of Vote of Directors Establishing a Class of Stock relating to any
other series of preferred stock of the Corporation, the Series A Preferred Stock
shall rank junior to every other series of the Corporation's preferred stock
previously or hereafter authorized, as to the payment of dividends and the
distribution of assets on liquidation, dissolution or winding up and shall rank
senior to the common stock.
Section 10. AMENDMENT. The Articles and this Certificate of Vote of
Directors Establishing a Class of Stock shall not be amended in any manner which
would materially alter
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or change the powers, preferences or special rights of the Series A Preferred
Stock so as to affect them adversely (within the meaning of Section 77 of
Chapter 156B of the Massachusetts General Laws) without the affirmative vote of
the holders of two-thirds or more of the outstanding shares of Series A
Preferred Stock, voting separately as a class.
Section 11. FRACTIONAL SHARES. Series A Preferred Stock may be issued in
whole shares or in any fraction of a share that is one ten-thousandth
(1/10,000th) of a share or any integral multiple of such fraction, which shall
entitle the holder, in proportion to such holder's fractional shares, to
exercise voting rights, receive dividends, participate in distributions and to
have the benefit of all other rights of holders of Series A Preferred Stock. In
lieu of fractional shares, the Corporation may elect to make a cash payment as
provided in the Rights Agreement for fractions of a share other than one
ten-thousandth (1/10,000th) of a share or any integral multiple thereof.
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EXHIBIT B
[Form of Right Certificate]
Certificate No. R- ______ Rights
NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER SEPTEMBER 9, 2008 OR EARLIER IF NOTICE OF REDEMPTION IS
GIVEN. THE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION, AT THE OPTION OF BROOKTROUT
TECHNOLOGY, INC., AT $0.01 PER RIGHT ON THE TERMS SET FORTH IN THE SHAREHOLDER
RIGHTS AGREEMENT BETWEEN BROOKTROUT TECHNOLOGY, INC. AND STATE STREET BANK AND
TRUST COMPANY, AS RIGHTS AGENT, DATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 9, 1998 (THE "RIGHTS
AGREEMENT"). UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES SPECIFIED IN SECTION 7(e) OF THE RIGHTS
AGREEMENT, RIGHTS BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY AN ACQUIRING PERSON, AN ADVERSE PERSON
OR AN ASSOCIATE OR AFFILIATE OF AN ACQUIRING PERSON OR AN ADVERSE PERSON (AS
SUCH TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT) AND ANY SUBSEQUENT HOLDER OF
SUCH RIGHTS MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID.
Right Certificate
BROOKTROUT TECHNOLOGY, INC.
This certifies that , or registered assigns, is the registered
owner of the number of Rights set forth above, each of which entitles the owner
thereof, subject to the terms, provisions and conditions of the Shareholder
Rights Agreement dated as of September 9, 1998 (the "Rights Agreement") between
Brooktrout Technology, Inc. (the "Company") and State Street Bank and Trust
Company, as Rights Agent (the "Rights Agent"), to purchase from the Company at
any time after the Distribution Date (as such term is defined in the Rights
Agreement) and prior to the close of business on September 9, 2008 at the office
or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, or its successors as
Rights Agent, one ten-thousandth of a fully paid, non-assessable share of the
Series A Junior Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock (the "Preferred Stock")
of the Company, at a purchase price of $79.00 per one ten-thousandth of a share
(the "Exercise Price"), upon presentation and surrender of this Right
Certificate with the Form of Election to Purchase and the related Certificate
duly executed. The number of Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate (and the
number of shares which may be purchased upon exercise thereof) set forth above,
and the Exercise Price per share set forth above, are the number and Exercise
Price as of , based on the Preferred Stock as constituted at such date.
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Upon the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event (as such term is defined
in the Rights Agreement), if the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate are
beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring Person, an Adverse Person or an Affiliate
or Associate of any such Person (as such terms are defined in the Rights
Agreement), (ii) a transferee of any such Acquiring Person, Adverse Person,
Associate or Affiliate, or (iii) under certain circumstances specified in the
Rights Agreement, a transferee of a Person who, after such transfer, became an
Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person, or an Affiliate or Associate of an
Acquiring Person or an Adverse Person, such Rights shall become null and void
and no holder hereof shall have any right with respect to such Rights from and
after the occurrence of such Section 11(a)(ii) Event.
As provided in the Rights Agreement, the Exercise Price and the number of
shares of Preferred Stock or other securities which may be purchased upon the
exercise of the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate are subject to
modification and adjustment upon the happening of certain events.
This Right Certificate is subject to all of the terms, provisions and
conditions of the Rights Agreement, which terms, provisions and conditions are
hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof and to which
Rights Agreement reference is hereby made for a full description of the rights,
limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities hereunder of the
Rights Agent, the Company and the holders of the Right Certificates, which
limitations of rights include the temporary suspension of the exercisability of
such Rights under the specific circumstances set forth in the Rights Agreement.
Copies of the Rights Agreement are on file at the principal office of the
Company and the designated office of the Rights Agent and are also available
upon written request to the Company or the Rights Agent.
This Right Certificate, with or without other Right Certificates, upon
surrender at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such
purpose, may be exchanged for another Right Certificate or Certificates of like
tenor and date evidencing Rights entitling the holder to purchase a like
aggregate number of shares of Preferred Stock as the Rights evidenced by the
Right Certificate or Certificates surrendered shall have entitled such holder to
purchase. If this Right Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder shall
be entitled to receive upon surrender hereof another Right Certificate or
Certificates for the number of whole Rights not exercised. If this Right
Certificate shall be exercised in whole or in part pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii)
of the Rights Agreement, the holder shall be entitled to receive this Right
Certificate duly marked to indicate that such exercise has occurred as set forth
in the Rights Agreement.
Under certain circumstances, subject to the provisions of the Rights
Agreement, the Board of Directors of the Company at its option may exchange all
or any part of the Rights evidenced by this Certificate for shares of the
Company's Common Stock or Preferred Stock at an exchange ratio (subject to
adjustment) specified in the Rights Agreement.
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Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the Rights evidenced by
this Certificate may be redeemed by the Board of Directors of the Company at its
option at a redemption price of $0.01 per Right (payable in cash, Common Stock
or other consideration deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors).
The Company is not obligated to issue fractional shares of stock upon the
exercise of any Right or Rights evidenced hereby (other than fractions which are
integral multiples of one ten-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock, which
may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts). If
the Company elects not to issue such fractional shares, in lieu thereof a cash
payment will be made, as provided in the Rights Agreement.
No holder of this Right Certificate, as such, shall be entitled to vote or
receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of shares of Preferred
Stock, Common Stock or any other securities of the Company which may at any time
be issuable on the exercise hereof, nor shall anything contained in the Rights
Agreement or herein be construed to confer upon the holder hereof, as such, any
of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the
election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any
meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to
receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as
provided in the Rights Agreement), or to receive dividends or subscription
rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by this Right
Certificate shall have been exercised as provided in the Rights Agreement.
This Right Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose
until it shall have been countersigned by an authorized signatory of the Rights
Agent.
WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the Company and
its corporate seal.
[Corporate Seal] BROOKTROUT TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Attested: By
-----------------------------------
By Name:
-------------------------------- Title: [Chairman, Vice Chairman,
[Clerk or Assistant Clerk] President or Vice President]
Countersigned:
[---------------------------------],
as Rights Agent
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----------------------------------
Authorized Signatory
Date of countersignature:
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[Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate]
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT
(To be executed by the registered holder if such
holder desires to transfer the Right Certificate.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED ___________________________ hereby sells, assigns and
transfers unto ____________________________________ (Please print name and
address of transferee) ____________________________________ this Right
Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein, and does
hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint ___________________ Attorney, to
transfer the within Right Certificate on the books of the within-named Company,
with full power of substitution.
Dated:_______,___ ______________________________
Signature
Signature Guaranteed:___________
CERTIFICATE
The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes that:
(1) the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate ______ are ______ are
not being transferred by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an Acquiring
Person, an Adverse Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such Person (as
such terms are defined in the Rights Agreement); and
(2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the undersigned, the
undersigned ____ did ____ did not directly or indirectly acquire the Rights
evidenced by this Right Certificate from any Person who is, was or became an
Acquiring Person, an Adverse Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such
Person.
Dated:_______,___ ______________________________
Signature
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NOTICE
The signature to the foregoing Assignment and Certificate must correspond
to the name as written upon the face of this Right Certificate in every
particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.
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FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE
-----------------------------
(To be executed if holder desires to
exercise the Right Certificate.)
To BROOKTROUT TECHNOLOGY, INC.:
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise _______ Rights
represented by this Right Certificate to purchase the shares of Preferred Stock
issuable upon the exercise of the Rights (or such other securities of the
Company or of any other person which may be issuable upon the exercise of the
Rights) and requests that certificates for such shares be issued in the name of:
Please insert social security
or other identifying taxpayer number: __________________
________________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
________________________________________________________________________________
If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced by this
Right Certificate or if the Rights are being exercised pursuant to Section
11(a)(ii) of the Rights Agreement, a new Right Certificate for the balance of
such Rights shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:
Please insert social security
or other identifying taxpayer number: _____________________
________________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Dated: ____________,___ ____________________________
Signature
Signature Guaranteed: ________________
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CERTIFICATE
The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes that:
(1) the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate ____ are ____ are not
being exercised by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an Acquiring Person,
an Adverse Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such Person (as such terms
are defined in the Rights Agreement); and
(2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the undersigned, the
undersigned ____ did ____ did not directly or indirectly acquire the Rights
evidenced by this Right Certificate from any Person who is, was or became an
Acquiring Person, an Adverse Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such
Person.
Dated: ____________,___ ____________________________
Signature
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NOTICE
-------
The signature to the foregoing Election to Purchase and Certificate must
correspond to the name as written upon the face of this Right Certificate in
every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.
9
